Just like Christmas, Easter is one of the most celebrated Christian holidays.
As a Christian, I celebrate Easter to commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
For some people, the holiday has a great religious significance, while others simply enjoy the time off from school and work.
There is, however, one common factor of the Easter holidays - and that is having lots and lots of delicious foods. But before you tuck into all your delicious treats this year, why not give it a bit more thought, so you know how the food you are enjoying happened to get to your plate?
Easter food traditions, from giving Easter eggs to eating hot cross buns, have been a part of our Easter celebrations for years.
Many Easter food traditions go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. While it may seem obvious why we eat some foods, like lamb being a popular seasonal dish, many of the things we enjoy at this time of year have deeper meaning behind their origins too.
The majority of the Easter food traditions we know and love now have religious origins. Some foods have developed their own significance as Easter symbols in modern times too.
According to Alimentarium, a food museum with interactive and historical exhibits, in the Christian tradition, Easter brings an end to the Lenten fast with a series of rich dishes, that lamb commemorates the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ and is served as the main course, either as a leg of lamb or in a roast or stew, and other foods such as decorated eggs, chocolate rabbits and bells have been introduced into Easter celebrations over time.
That said, why not try fun new additions to your Easter menu this year? Below are a few food ideas. For inspiration, you can search the internet for quick and easy recipes.
Pierogi
These potato-stuffed dumplings are often found on the Easter tables of many Eastern European families. In Poland, they are called pierogi, but in Ukraine, you will hear the name varenyky to refer to the half-moon-shaped dumplings.
Easter bread
Easter bread symbolises the end of the Lenten fast, and peace and good luck in the coming year. Bread has always been important at Easter, a symbol of Christ’s body during holy communion, and The Last Supper.
Easter bread varies wildly by country but it is very common for people to share and give traditional baked goods as gifts.
In Greece, Turkey, and Eastern European countries there is plaited wreath bread with brightly dyed eggs pushed into the dough.
Pickled fish
This traditional Cape Malay dish, flavoured with allspice, whole cumin, bay leaves, vinegar, and garlic, is a South African favourite.
The recipe was first introduced as a means of preserving fresh fish in a vinegar and sugar mixture, and in true South African style, various punchy flavours and spices were added.
The result is a sweet, sour, and spicy-tasting savoury flavour that can be eaten either hot or cold. Serve it with warm, freshly baked bread and butter on a spicy hot cross bun or as a side dish with some potato or green salad.
Speckled eggs milk tart
Milk tart is another South African favourite. To give your traditional milk tart recipe an Easter twist, consider making it a speckled egg milk tart.
Do this by swapping out the milk tart crust recipe with an oat cookie recipe and adding smashed speckled eggs to your dough.
Blind bake the dough before adding the milk tart filling and baking as normal, following any traditional milk tart recipe.
Sprinkle the top of the tart with freshly grated cinnamon and decorate it with speckled eggs. Serve at room temperature.
Glazed ham
Instead of having lamb on your Easter menu, try using ham. Ham also has been popular as a traditional Easter food in many parts of the world for years.
Before the refrigerator existed, the ham was preserved and cured over the winter months, which added additional flavour.
Its large size also means it is great for larger family gatherings. Wondering how to prepare your ham?
Our recommendation: try it with brown sugar, pineapples and maple syrup.
Simnel cake
Simnel cake is a traditional English fruit cake, decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles (minus Judas).
It is topped with a glaze of apricot jam and has been enjoyed on Easter Sunday since at least the 18th century. The name simnel comes from two French words: "similis" meaning similar and "nouel" meaning Christmas.
This cake was traditionally served during Christmas time as well as Easter, but now it is just associated with Easter in modern times.
Hot cross buns
No Easter holiday celebration is complete without hot cross buns! These popular sweet, spiced buns have been an Easter tradition in many parts of the world for centuries.
They are usually eaten on Good Friday to signify the end of Lent, which makes sense - who would not want to celebrate with warm, cinnamon goodness?
Pashka
This sweet, custardy dish is extremely popular in Russia and is known as the traditional Russian Easter food to make. Pashka is traditionally only made around Easter time as it is connected to the Christian religion with its truncated pyramid shape.
This high-protein dish consists primarily of cheese and egg yolks. It is topped with chopped glacéed fruits, making it the perfect brunch or dessert.