Easter Sunday is a special day for Christian families around the world to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, our risen Savior who defeated death and lives forevermore.
On the day He arose, “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay’” (Matthew 28:5-6).
One of the ways families celebrate is by serving a generous Easter meal. In America, many serve a traditional Easter fare including baked ham, potatoes, spring salad, and more.
However, social media and the internet have helped to broaden our access to Easter recipes, giving us the opportunity to incorporate dishes from a variety of cultures into our celebrations. Here are recipes from around the globe, along with some Easter memories connected to the dishes:
*Each author, homemaker, and cook granted permission to publish.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/dulezidar
Middle Eastern Appetizer
Hummus has been served for centuries, yet its origin remains a mystery. Many groups claim the original recipe could be contributed to Israelis, posing the question if it’s a dish Jesus may have eaten while on earth. If so, there isn't a better time to add hummus to your Easter meal!
Wherever it started, it has become a favorite appetizer for many families, including ours, helping to calm hungry appetites waiting for the main Easter dishes to be served.
Homemade Hummus
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup canned chickpeas
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup tahini or Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste
Add all to food processor and puree, adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed. Sprinkle with paprika, pine nuts, diced red pepper or other topping. Serve with fresh vegetables, pita chips, or pita bread.
Festive Mexican Appetizer
Mexican food is a family favorite, so when my husband brought home an abundance of tomatillos from a friend, we prepared a spicy batch of salsa verde to serve before Easter dinner. After all, this pop of color is perfect for springtime!
Salsa Verde
Ingredients:
1 ½ pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1-2 medium chopped jalapenos (fresh or pickled)
½ cup chopped white onion
¼ cup packed cilantro (fresh or dried)
2 Tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon salt to taste
Broil tomatillos in oven or roast on grill until soft and starting to brown. Remove from pan and add all ingredients to food processor to blend until pureed. Serve with tortilla chips.
German-Influenced Dishes
Alex Villeneuve grew up celebrating Easter in Germany. For Good Friday, her grandmother made spinach cooked in a roux with lots of butter, onions, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg, which she grated from an actual nut.
Simple German-Creamed Spinach Recipe
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
1 sweet onion chopped
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
2-3 cups chopped fresh spinach
Heat butter and onion over medium heat, adding flour once butter and onion are golden. Add chopped spinach to blended roux. Serve when heated.
Warm Eggs
Along with the spinach dish, Alex’s grandmother served boiled eggs. In Germany, hard or soft-boiled eggs are served warm, with whole eggs placed in egg holders covered by little knitted caps to keep in the warmth until time to eat, along with a special egg top cutter and spoon for eating right out of the shell.
Eggs, Eggs, & More Eggs
My own German grandmother served Beet Eggs at Easter, which are peeled hardboiled eggs marinated in sweet-and-sour beet juice until they absorb the beet flavor and coloring. Although I enjoy them, my family prefers deviled eggs.
Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
A dozen eggs hardboiled
½ cup mayonnaise
Mustard to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Optional: teaspoon of sweet pickle relish
Paprika sprinkled to taste
Peel hardboiled eggs and cut in halves. Remove yoke to mixing dish. Smash yokes with fork, mix with mayonnaise and mustard, filling each half-egg with yolk mixture. Sprinkle paprika on top. Chill until serving time.
Photo Credit: ©Pixabay/NickyPe
Traditional Korean Fare
Although Korea doesn’t celebrate Easter as a national holiday, Jean Lim Flores says her family and other Korean Christians faithfully observe it.
Growing up, Jean’s family hid colorful, hardboiled eggs for a yearly Easter egg hunt. It’s an activity reminding believers of the new life received through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection from the grave. “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Roman 6:4).
As well, like many Korean homes, Jean’s family often serves a delicious Korean dish called Baekseolgi for special family gatherings.
Baekseolgi
Ingredients:
4 cups rice flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar
Utensils: rice steamer, sifter, and small cake ring
Place thawed package of frozen rice flour into large bowl. Mix in water and salt, pressing out any wet lumps by gently rubbing between hands. Sift rice flour twice, then add sugar and sift once more. Lay cheesecloth over bottom of steamer basket, placing cake ring on top of it. Gently add rice mixture into cake ring, filling to top and covering with more cheesecloth. Fill steamer’s inner pot with water, placing steamer basket over pot, cover with lid for 10 minutes. Remove ring, leaving rice cake in basket, cover and steam for 15 more minutes. Gently remove and serve warm.
Delicious Greek Dish
Sophia Papadopoulos grew up celebrating Easter in Athens, Greece. She remembers how during Lent leading up to Easter Sunday, she ate lots of rice with chickpeas, lentil or bean soup, veggies stew, fish, and roasted potatoes.
On Easter Sunday, her aunt served stuffed grape leaves to celebrate saying, “No one was to leave her home walking out but rather rolling out because they are full.”
Below is a stuffed grape leaves recipe made easy as a possible edition to your Easter menu:
Stuffed Grape Leaves Made Easy
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground lamb, beef, or pork
1 cup uncooked white rice
½ cup tomato sauce
½ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 jar grape leaves (16 ounces)
Soak grape leaves for 2-4 hours in cold water. Rinse, drain and set aside until meat mixture is ready to stuff. Combine beef, rice, sauce, and spices, mix thoroughly.
To fill, place stem-side leaf down, putting 2-3 tablespoons of mixture middle of left, folding up sides and rolling upward. Place leaves tightly side by side in skillet, placing heavy plate on top to keep in place while cooking. Add water and bring to boil until meat is cooked, around 35-50 minutes. Serve warm.
International Favorite
A favorite Easter recipe crossing European and Mediterranean lines is Braided Easter Sweet Bread. Both Alex in Germany and Sophia in Greece remember it being a staple in their families’ Easter traditions, with Alex’s grandmother adding her own special touch by painting the bread with a rum flavored glaze. To bake the German version, Hefezopf, like Alex's grandmother prepared, visit RecipesfromEurope.com.
Norwegian Delight
Growing up in Norway, author and homemaker Kirsti Newcombe’s favorite Easter treat is homemade Marzipan. Her family made it out of finely grounded almonds, egg whites, and powered sugar, using food color to create a variety of colors and rolling in powder sugar to create colorful, sweet Easter eggs.
Marzipan Easter eggs help Kirsti’s family celebrate Jesus rising from the grave, symbolizing the new life bursting forth on Resurrection morning. Also, after six weeks of Lent with no eggs, they represent the joy of Christ and the end of sorrow. “But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him” (Acts 2:24).
Marzipan Eggs Made Simple
Ingredients:
1 pound almond paste (buy pre-made)
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 large lightly beaten egg whites
½ teaspoon almond extract
Cut up almond paste in pieces, placing in food processor or mixer, slowly adding in powered sugar, egg whites, and almond extract until all blended. Knead marzipan on a dusted powdered sugar surface until smooth and lump-free. Set aside portions for adding food coloring to create colorful Easter eggs, or wrap in clear wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Continental Cake
With her blend of Norwegian, German, and Irish backgrounds, author Jackie Johnson's Easter memories in Wisconsin, brings thoughts of her family serving a lamb-shaped cake.
It serves as a beautiful reminder to Christians of why we celebrate Easter and what John the Baptist exclaimed at seeing Jesus walking towards him: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Lamb of God Easter Cake
Ingredients:
1 box vanilla cake mix
1 can cream cheese frosting
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Two raisins, almonds, or candy for eyes
2-3 drops green food coloring for coconut grass
Follow cake directions to mix, pouring batter in lamb cake mold to bake approximately 1 hour. Let cool and carefully remove cake from mold. Spread frosting on cake platter surface to place cake securely on top. Frost entire cake adding raisins, almonds, or candy for eyes. Shake coconut in plastic bag with green food coloring until coated. Spread around lamb as grass.
Photo Credit: ©Iuliia_Leonova
Originally published Wednesday, 06 April 2022.
