Traditional Easter Recipes from Around the World (2024)

Argentina/Uraguay:Torta Pascualina - Spinach Ricotta Pie

Armenia:Chorek - Sweet Armenian Easter Bread

Chorek (also spelled choreg, cho*reg, or cheoreg) is an Armenian sweet bread traditionally eaten at Easter or sometimes Christmas. It is frequently found braided with three strands to represent the Holy Trinity but can be made into other shapes as well!

The bread is uniquely flavored with mahleb, a middle eastern spice that comes from cherry stones. Mahleb's aroma is "reminiscent of cherry, almond, flowers, and rose water."

Bulgaria:Kozunak - Bulgarian Easter Bread

Croatia:Primorski Uskrsne Bebe - Croatian Easter Bread Dolls

Croatian Easter bread, called pinca, is normally formed into a round shape, but these Primorski Uskrsne Bebe (translated to "Easter babies from Primorje”) are a kid-friendly variation made from the same dough.

An egg, traditionally dyed red, is nestled into braided dough to form loaves resembling swaddled babies. Children can help make dough, dye eggs, place the eggs, or draw the faces in this fun tradition.

Germany:German Egg Liqueur - Vanilla Custard Shots

German egg liqueur, called eierlikör (or advocaat in the Netherlands) is similar to a custardy homemade eggnog so thick it's sometimes eaten with a spoon.

As the story goes, its origins date back to the 17th century, when Dutch explorers in Brazil were introduced to abacate, an avocado-based alcoholic beverage of the indigenous people. Since avocados did not grow in Northern Europe, they were replaced with egg yolks in an attempt to approximate the creamy texture of the original beverage.

Eierlikör is traditionally drunk (or eaten) on Easter and Christmas and is definitely a unique way to enjoy all those eggs at Easter!

Greece:Tsoureki - Greek Easter Bread

Tsoureki is a sweet Easter bread that, like Armenian chorek, is flavored with mahleb, the distinctive middle eastern spice made from cherry stones.

This tsoureki manages to pack in quite a bit of religious symbolism into one loaf: a three-stranded braid to represent the Holy Trinity, eggs to symbolize rebirth and resurrection, red dye to represent the blood of Christ, and a shiny egg wash to evoke the light of Christ.

Greece: Koulourakia - Greek Easter cookies

Italy:Pizza Rustica - Italian Easter Pie

This savory double-crusted Italian Easter pie, also known as pizza rustica or pizzagaina, is stuffed with ricotta cheese, hard boiled eggs, and cured meats. Because eggs, dairy, and meats would have been off the table for the entirety of Lent (thanks to Pope Gregory's declaration in the year 604 AD) this meal was quite the celebratory indulgence to break the 40-day fast.

Scraps of dough are used to decorate the top of the pie with crosses or other Easter symbols.

Italy: Ciambella Mandorlata - An Italian Easter Bread

Italy: Colomba Pasqua - Easter Dove Bread

There are several stories about the origin of this dove-shaped bread. (The Oregonian)

One story dates back to 1176, when Emperor Frederick Barbarossa attempted to capture Italy for the Holy Roman Empire. According to legend, two doves representing the Holy Spirit appeared on the battlefield and allowed the Lombardian region to triumph over the emperor.

Another legend is that even further back in 572, King Alboin demanded 12 nubile maidens as tribute for his victory over the city of Pavia. When the 12th woman was finally called to the king's bed, she brought with her a sweet dove-shaped bread as a gift and symbol of peace. The king was so moved that he spared Pavia from destruction and made it his capitol instead.

Regardless of the bread's true origins, it is enjoyed throughout Italy as one of the most popular Easter breads.

Malta:Traditional Maltese Figolli Cookies

Poland:Polish White Borscht - Easter Soup

This kielbasa and cabbage soup is inspired by white borscht, a traditional Polish Easter soup.

Polish families would traditionally bring a large basket of food to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday. This basket would include items such as bread, sausage links, and eggs. White borscht is a soup eaten on Easter Sunday that uses many of these ingredients so that families could have a taste of the blessed foods!

Romania:Cozonac - Romanian Easter & Christmas Bread

Cozonac is a sweet, eggy yeast bread scented with citrus and swirled with various fillings. Fillings vary greatly between different regions of Romania and may include cocoa, ground nuts, raisins, rum, or lokum (Turkish delight). It may also be topped with poppy seeds.

While its sister bread, kozunak, is mainly enjoyed for Easter in Bulgaria, cozonac is eaten on most major holidays in Romania.

Russia:Kulich - Sweet Russian Easter Bread

Like many Easter dishes, this fluffy Russian Easter bread is full of dairy and eggs. Kulich actually predates Christianity in Russia as part of a Slavic springtime baking ritual, but is now mainly associated with Easter.

Historically, it would have been one of 48 courses served on Easter, one course for each day of the Orthodox Lenten fast. While people may no longer make quite so many, wide variety of indulgent dishes is still common for the holiday!

This tall, cylindrical loaf may be baked in a paper mold or even a parchment-lined saucepan. While traditional kulich recipes include candied fruits, this recipe substitutes fresh citrus zest for a lighter bread.

Russia:Paskha Easter Cheesecake

Paskha (Easter) cheesecake is made with tvorog, a creamy fresh farmer's cheese similar to a smoother, tangier ricotta. It is shaped into a four-sided pyramid using a pasochnitsa mold, but can also be made in a clay flower pot.

This cheesecake is laden with religious symbolism. The pyramid shape represents Calvary and Jesus's tomb, and the white color symbolizes the purity of Christ. The sides of a traditional pasochnitsa mold are imprinted with the letters "XB",which stands for Христос воскрес (Christ is Risen), along with other symbols of the suffering and resurrection of Christ.

While it is commonly studded with raisins, candied fruits, and nuts, this recipe includes white chocolate and macadamia nuts! Pashka cheesecake is often served spread on a slice of kulich, the cylindrical bread linked above, so try making both this Easter for a real Russian treat!

Russia: Dyed Easter eggs

Russian Easter eggs are dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ, and the hard shells represent Jesus's tomb.

A fun Russian Easter tradition is to take turns trying to crack one another's eggs. "One person holds the egg and the other taps the top of their egg, hoping not to break their own, but their opponents. The winner is the person who successfully cracks their opponents egg. The cracked egg symbolizes Christ's resurrection from the tomb."

You can dye the eggs naturally using onion skins or red cabbage.

Spain: Monas de PascuaEaster Bread with Colored Eggs

UK:Simnel Cake - British Easter Fruit Cake

Simnel cake is made in the UK and the British Isles for Easter or the fourth Sunday of Lent (known as Laetare Sunday, Mothering Sunday, or Simnel Sunday, named after the cake). Simnel cake includes nuts and dried or candied fruits, and is topped and layered with sheets of marzipan, or almond paste.

This festive fruitcake is topped with 11 balls of marzipan to represent the 12 apostles minus Judas Iscariot, or 12 to represent the 11 apostles plus Jesus.

UK: Hot Cross Buns

The story goes that a 14th century monk in St. Albans, in England, baked these sweet rolls and distributed them to the poor on Good Friday. They are marked with a cross to symbolize the crucifixion.

Many superstitions surrounded hot cross buns, including that they had medicinal or magical properties, would ward off evil spirits, or that they would never grow moldy or stale. Queen Elizabeth I even limited the sale of these little buns in the 16th century to only funerals, Christmas, and Good Friday, so that their supposed powers wouldn't be abused.

Or, you can try this version with West African mango and coconut flavors from Sierra Leone!

Ukraine:Paska - Ukrainian Easter Bread

Like Russian kulich, Ukrainian paska is tall and cylindrical. It can be made in a paper mold, a tall, narrow springform pan, or something like a saucepan or ovenproof utensil crock lined with parchment paper. It can be made relatively plain or sweeter and studded with raisins and dried fruit.

Families would fill a basket with paska, eggs, sausage, butter, and other foods to be blessed on Easter morning and return home after the liturgy to feast on the blessed items.

Easter Lamb Loin

While lamb isn't associated with one particular country, no list of traditional Easter foods would be complete without mentioning it.

Lamb was traditional for Passover before it was adopted for Easter. As the story goes, Moses commanded Pharaoh to release the Jews from slavery. When Pharaoh refused, God then sent a series of plagues upon Egypt. The tenth plague was the killing of the firstborn sons of each household, but God would pass over the homes of those who had painted the blood of a sacrificial lamb on their doorways.

In Christianity, Jesus himself is the sacrificial lamb and is known as the lamb of God. So the symbolic tradition of feasting on lamb has continued as an Easter tradition as well, imbued with a new meaning.