Orthodox Easter food: what is eaten and why

Resurrection of Jesus — Photo: Piero della Francesca, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What is eaten for Orthodox Easter

Pascha is the greatest feast of the Orthodox year. After the midnight service on Saturday, Greek families go home to magiritsa, a soup of lamb offal and herbs that eases the stomach after seven weeks of fasting. Eggs dyed deep red are knocked against each other, and the last one unbroken brings luck. On Sunday a whole lamb turns on a spit. Greeks bake tsoureki, a braided sweet bread. Russians and Ukrainians have kulich, a tall iced loaf, with paskha, a pyramid of sweet curd cheese.

The dishes

TsourekiBraided sweet bread with a red egg set in it.

MagiritsaLamb and herb soup that breaks the fast after midnight.

PaskhaMoulded sweet curd cheese eaten with kulich.Easter eggDyed red and cracked against each other.

PaskaRomanian sweet cheese bread.

Also part of it, and being written: Kulich (Tall iced Easter loaf of Russia and Ukraine.), Kokoretsi (Grilled lamb offal, cooked beside the Easter lamb.).

More dishes made for Orthodox Easter

Chocolate 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast and 5 moreA sweet or bitter food made from processed cocoa beans, enjoyed in many forms worldwide Sweet or dessert, Snacks

BaklavaVegetarianباقلوا 🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreThin pastry filled with nuts and soaked in sweet syrup Sweet or dessert, Tea time, Snacks

PretzelVegetarian 🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreA baked knot-shaped bread, often topped with salt or seeds Bread, Snacks

Olivier saladсалат Оливье 🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreA Russian salad of diced vegetables, meat and mayonnaise, served at festive meals Salad or side, Dinner, Lunch AkvavitVegan 🇳🇴 Norway and 4 moreA Scandinavian spirit flavoured with caraway or dill, often enjoyed at festive meals Drink, Dinner, Lunch

Börek 🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreFlaky pastry filled with cheese, meat or vegetables, baked or fried Pie or savoury pastry, Breakfast, Lunch

BigosMeat 🇵🇱 Poland and 5 morePolish stew of mixed meats, sauerkraut and cabbage, simmered with spices Stew or curry, Breakfast, Dinner

FocacciaVegetarian 🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreItalian flatbread baked with olive oil and often herbs or salt Bread, Breakfast, Snacks

AspicMeat 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreMeat or fish set in savoury gelatin, served cold as an appetizer or festive dish Main dish, Lunch, Dinner

StollenVegetarian 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreGerman fruit bread with dried fruit, nuts, spices and a sugar-dusted crust Sweet or dessert, Tea time, Snacks

Angel wingsVegetarian 🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreCrisp, deep-fried ribbons of dough dusted with powdered sugar Pie or savoury pastry, Snacks, Tea time

WeisswurstMeatWeißwurst 🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreMild veal and pork sausages gently cooked and served warm, a Bavarian morning tradition Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch

Sour rye soup 🇵🇱 Poland and 3 moreA tangy soup made from fermented cereals, common in Central and Eastern Europe Soup, Lunch, Dinner

Roast chickenMeat 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreWhole chicken roasted over heat or fire, served in many styles worldwide Main dish, Lunch, Dinner

MansafMeatمنسف 🇯🇴 Jordan and 3 moreLamb cooked in fermented yogurt sauce, served over rice and flatbread Main dish, Lunch, Dinner

MämmiVegan 🇫🇮 FinlandFinnish Easter dessert of baked rye and malt, served cold with cream or milk Sweet or dessert

Ma'amoulVegetarianمعمول 🇸🇾 Syria and 4 moreSemolina cookies filled with dates or nuts, shaped in moulds for festive occasions Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time

Sarma 🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreLeaves wrapped around a filling of rice, minced meat and spices Main dish, Lunch, Dinner

Deviled eggsVegetarian 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreHard-boiled eggs filled with a seasoned yolk mixture, served cold Main dish, Lunch, Dinner

Cozonac 🇷🇴 Romania and 4 moreA sweet, enriched bread often filled with nuts or dried fruit, baked for Easter Sweet or dessert, Tea time, Snacks

Buñuelo 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreCrisp or fluffy fried dough, sweet or savory, enjoyed across Spain and Latin America Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Breakfast

TvorogVegetarian 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreA soft, white, fermented dairy food made by curdling milk and removing whey Cheese or dairy food

About this page

Written by the Thali desk with AI assistance. Background: "Easter" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Olivier salad: Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Cozonac: L.Kenzel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Stollen: Gürgi, Public domain, source

Weisswurst: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Baklava: Sakaman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Pretzel: LenaRaisch, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Chocolate: formulatehealth, CC BY 2.0, source

Bigos: Alberto Racatumba, CC BY 2.0, source

Focaccia: Fred Benenson, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Mansaf: Abdulla aljammal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Sarma: Garrett Ziegler, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Paska: AMartiniouk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Sour rye soup: Radosław Drożdżewski ( User:Zwiadowca21 ), CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Mämmi: No machine-readable author provided. Strangnet assumed (based on copyr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Deviled eggs: Marshall Astor, CC BY-SA 2.0, source

Tvorog: Loyna, CC BY-SA 2.5, source

Börek: Silar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Aspic: Gmelfi, Public domain, source

Paskha: Mitrius, Public domain, source

Magiritsa: Andrew Dalby, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Tsoureki: Jason Hollinger, CC BY 2.0, source

Angel wings: Marcin Floryan, CC BY 2.5, source

Roast chicken: Rajeeb Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Ma'amoul: fugzu, CC BY 2.0, source

Buñuelo: Klenje, CC BY-SA 3.0, source