Growing up, our strict Catholic family celebrated Easter as all good Christians should – with church and chocolate.
(In that order, of course.)
However, when it came to the celebratory meal, there was no “Easter Feast” per se; we just ate what we normally ate, but on a slightly grander scale. Hence, sometimes my mom would make one of our favourite dishes, or she’d put out a larger spread of the regular foods we ate. But as traditions go, it was as simple as 1) go to church, and 2) eat lots of chocolate.
So when I married into an Austrian family, I was quite intrigued by their traditional Easter meal – a tradition that my husband has assured me has been carried on for as long as he can remember. It goes something like this:
Hard-boiled Easter eggs are carefully dyed and presented to the guests. This is the first food that makes it to your plate; traditionally, you’re supposed to crack the egg on your head for luck!
Next, the cheese plate is passed around. Thinly sliced European varieties that melt in your mouth. Since I have a weakness for cheese, I had to pace myself – especially when I saw the dollops of triple creme brie invitingly placed on top. You can also see the German potato salad bowl – fresh and tart, it’s a traditional picnic food that has a place at the Easter table.
Following the cheese plate, a selection of smoked and cured meats is offered. Hungarian salami, Polish kielbasa, German speck (similar to prosciutto) and more. The saltiness and smokiness of the meat is set off by the other fresh ingredients, particularly the eggs and potato salad.
Freshly grated horseradish is the condiment of choice to be served with the meal. The pungent, spicy radish is best spooned over sliced eggs or mixed into the potato salad. However, be sure to place the bowl away from where you’re seated – the aromatic fumes from the grated horseradish were making me tear up, similar to cutting through an onion.
Finally, a homemade Easter bread is passed around the table. Slightly sweetened and very soft, it complements the saltiness of the meats and cheese. In many European countries, there are various traditions surrounding the use of bread during the Easter holiday; traditionally, the practice of eating Easter bread or sweetened “communion” bread traces its origin back to Byzantium and the Orthodox Christian church. (It’s also quite divine with butter and jam the following morning.)
This was the first year that the boys were old enough to truly understand the traditions. They helped themselves to Easter eggs, and with a little help from Opa, Ryder was able to crack one to enjoy. We finished the afternoon with an Easter egg hunt that had the boys scouring through the entire home.
Special thanks to my stellar mother-in-law who always puts forth a bountiful feast.
What are some of your Easter traditions? I’m always interested in hearing how different cultures celebrate the holiday. And, did the Easter bunny make a stop at your home this year?
Great post! It’s always interesting to read the traditions of other people/cultures!
I’m not so sure about the whole breaking an egg on your head part though :-)
For us, it was very similiar to your church & chocolate.. no meat on Good Friday… ham, cabbage rolls, paska bread (Ukrainian influences, I suppose).. and family. Enjoying the family time :-)
I adore paska bread :) Sounds like you have wonderful Easter celebrations!
Mom always served ham, scalloped potatoes and cauliflower on Easter. Only got one chocolate egg, but always got a new outfit and new shoes, which would be worn to church. Good Friday depended, just no meat, we are Irish Catholics with a priest in the family so we were quite traditional.
Mmmm… scalloped potatoes :)
Nice spread. I love horse radish, thats a must at Easter
Hahaha you must be of European descent Frank!
Sounds like a fantastic meal and thanks for the cultural ride! I love hearing about other traditions and cultures!
Me too, look at pictures of cultural food is one of my favourite things to do!
Oh yum! that all looks delish! I was raised with traditional Ukrainian activities (go to church, decorate pysanky, eat paska) but as I married a westernized Croatian those went out the window. So now its turkey or ham, hunt for candy and no church …
Oooh, sorry for hear some of your traditions go out the window :( But, new ones have taken their place!
Great post – sounds like you are doing a fantastic job of exposing the boys to lots of wonderful customs and traditions.
We do our best, Yash! I always want them to have a sense of where they came from.
That looks so fun! We always start the day off with a massive egg hunt, and then have a yummy brunch featuring pancakes, bacon/sausage, the eggs we dyed and colored the day before and fresh fruit and cheese. For dinner we usually have a big family gathering with a ham, scalloped potatoes etc.
Janice, I think I want to come over for your next Easter feast! That sounds divine!
I’m also a sucker for cheese! This looks wonderful! Our family does the traditional turkey and ham feast with, of course, stuffing, sweet potatoes, regular mashed potatoes, veggies, gravy and cranberry sauce. I love it! We didn’t do an egg hunt exactly but the Easter bunny did leave a trail of foam egg stickers that led to their baskets of treats. The kids loved it and we made pictures for the grandparents after. It was a good day! :)
Mmmm… what a feast! Sounds scrumptious Mandy!
great post! We always make resurrection buns for easter symbolizing that christ has risen. ( put a marshmallow inside the bun and when cooked its gone) We also always have a family get together.
I am totally looking up these marshmallow-stuffed resurrection buns Amy!
I love hearing about other family traditions. My family didn’t celebrate holidays much when I was growing up. My partner is Italian and we spend our holidays at his mother’s house, where the consistent ‘tradition’ across holidays is to serve a delicious feast, with way too many dishes to choose from.
Ah, love those kinds of feasts – are there any other kind??
Juast came back to drool
Hahaha Debbie welcome back!
That is quite the spread that your mother-in-law put out! The cheese plate is probably my fave. But I’m also intrigued by the German potato salad. As you may be able to tell, in addition to cheese, I also have a weakness for carbs! LOL
Hahaha I’m the same way! I think Easter derailed my diet for about a week :)
Wow, what a great meal your MIL puts together.
The morning starts with an Easter egg hunt and baskets from the bunny. My husband cooks us a big breakfast that includes eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit, and mimosas for the adults. Sometimes there are cinnabuns also.
It’s a tradition for me to make Italian Anisette cookies and we always have Italian Rice pie. Dinner always includes a ham, and either baked ziti or lasagna as main dishes. Sides are always different, but this year we had asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and a Neufchâtel cheese. Also had delish sweet potatoes, etc.
Oooh… Easter Morning breakfast sounds HEAVENLY!
Thanks for sharing these traditions, looks like it was a wonderful meal!
those look awesome!
It’s nice to see some traditions don’t fall away and it’s even better when it’s delicious food. My family does a big meal similar to Christmas and Thanksgiving with lots of delicious food.