Typical Easter Dishes Served Across The Planet

There are quite a few things that we associate with Easter, and food is one of them. However, when we say food, what we mainly mean are some sweet treats. While you can find this stuff in the grocery store any day of the year, it’s particularly prominent around Easter, especially in bunny and chick form.

That’s the case in quite a few countries around the world. However, it seems that many places also have other foods they traditionally enjoy at this time of year. From tsoureki in Greece to hot cross buns in England, Easter is apparently quite the global feast.

Zurek in Poland is a twist on soup

Christian churchgoers in Poland apparently take their food very seriously around Easter. On Holy Saturday, they’ll attend a service with their food in tow so that it might be blessed for consumption the next day. That includes the ingredients for one of the country’s most beloved Easter meals - zurek. This is a soup containing carrot, sausage, rye flour, and various spices that are served inside hollowed-out bread with boiled eggs. While some might find its sour kick to be an acquired taste, it’s something that many Poles reportedly wouldn’t want to be without.

Le Gigot d’Agneau Pascal in France sees lamb favored over fish

When it comes to meat dishes at Easter, you often find that a lot of countries prefer to make something with fish. Not France, though, where the favored meat is apparently lamb. As with a lot of these other dishes, it relates to Christ, who was called the Lamb of God in the Gospel of John. French believers choose to mark this name by cooking Le Gigot d’Agneau Pascal, which is a roasted lamb shank cooked with beans and potatoes. It’s a filling dish that we expect tastes amazing no matter what time of year you enjoy it.

Fanesca in Ecuador is a warming Easter dish

Depending on where Easter falls, things can still be a little chilly outside. However, one thing that will warm you up is the traditional Easter dish of Ecuador - fanesca. Reportedly only made once a year, this rich soup features a wide variety of ingredients sourced from all across the country. Foods like milk, fish, beans, garlic, wheat flour, and cheese are included in this dish, along with 12 different grains. The latter is apparently particularly important, as these reflect the 12 apostles of Christ.

Tsoureki in Greece is a type of braided bread

If you’re a fan of baked goods, you’ll likely appreciate Greece’s traditional Easter food. Apparently, lots of people enjoy tsoureki - a braided sweet bread - whenever this celebration comes around. In the Christian religion, braided bread reportedly symbolizes the Holy Trinity, while the food itself apparently represents life. So, it’s perhaps no great surprise that it’s a popular choice for this occasion. What’s more, tsoureki is commonly served with dyed red eggs on top, as these apparently reflect the blood of Christ.

Pizza chiena in Italy isn’t your usual kind of pizza

We know what you’re thinking - of course, Italy’s dish of choice at Easter is pizza. However, pizza chiena is far from your typical pizza dish. It bears much more resemblance to a savory pie, with the food prepared using some different ingredients. For instance, lard is apparently included in the dough, which you probably wouldn’t expect to find in a typical Italian pizza. Cheese, eggs, and cured meats are some of the other additions you often get in this dish, which is traditionally prepared on Good Friday and eaten the following day.

Capirotada in Mexico is different across the nation

While a lot of these dishes aren’t consumed until Easter, one that is enjoyed for weeks before is capirotada. This Mexican specialty can be eaten from the beginning of Lent, which is great for anyone who can’t get enough of this sweet dish. While there’s no one recipe for capirotada - it differs between regions - the food must supposedly always contain bread, cinnamon, fruit, and cloves. These are apparently symbolic ingredients, with the bread representing Christ, cinnamon sticks the cross, and cloves the nails of the crucifixion.

Hot cross buns in England come in all sizes and flavors

Anyone who spends their Easter across the pond may find one particular treat on display in practically every grocery store - hot cross buns. These are bread rolls typically stuffed with dried fruit, although there are other varieties available that come packed with chocolate, nuts, and other goods. They can be eaten hot or cold and will supposedly strengthen the relationship of anyone you give them to. If you’re curious what the white cross on top of these buns is for, it’s apparently to represent Christ’s crucifixion and to ward off evil spirits.

It’s fascinating to see the wide variety of foods that countries around the world prepare to celebrate the same occasion. It makes us feel a little guilty for our Easter chocolate obsession, but we can’t help that this stuff is so delicious. Now that we know what’s out there, though, we might just have to do an Easter delicacy world tour.