Guest Author - Katherine O. Huether
For the Greek culture, Easter is one of the most important holidays. From a Christian perspective, it is the event that signifies what it means to be a Christian. From a cultural perspective, it is a time for families to get together and celebrate. And when Greek people get together to celebrate, food is at the center.
During Easter, or Pascha as it is called in Greek, there are many Greek Easter recipes. And, the traditions and religious meaning are very much tied into the foods that are picked. There is a lot of symbolism and care taken as to why certain foods were chosen. There are certain things that are standard, but each family seems to have their own traditions. Here is a list of three very common foods that seem to be present at Greek Easter no matter what.
Greek Roasted Lamb
Lamb is at the center of the Greek Easter traditions and recipes. Pretty much any cut of lamb can work such as lamb chops or a leg of lamb. But, the most fun and most memorable way to cook lamb at Easter is to roast it on a spit. The flavor of the meat and the fun of watching a whole lamb roast is something that makes for a very memorable Easter.
The lamb is chosen as the main course of Easter dinner because to the Greek Orthodox Christians, it symbolizes that Jesus is the Lamb of God because he sacrificed his life. And, lamb is a traditional spring meat in several cultures so that is also part of the choice.
Red Easter Eggs
Hard boiled eggs are painted red for Greek Easter. The eggs offer symbolism on several different levels. The egg itself symbolizes Jesus’ tomb. The fact that it is painted red symbolizes the fact that Jesus died on the cross. It is fun to paint these eggs with your children.
There is also a game that goes with the Easter eggs. Two people grab an egg and then ram them together. The person whose egg does not crack will have good luck.
Greek Easter Bread
There is a type of Greek Easter bread recipe that is traditionally served during Easter. It is sweet and made with spices such as cinnamon. The bread is baked with a red hard boiled Easter egg. There are some great recipes on the internet for this bread, but most people tend to special order them and get them from bakeries.
