Eggs are the main protagonist of many Easter traditions around the world, as for Christians they symbolize Jesus’s resurrection and his miraculous emergence from the tomb. In several Christian countries people have as a tradition to dye eggs or to decorate them, while Egg hunt is also a popular game during Easter time. Apart from those, eggs are incorporated in some of the traditional foods of the holiday, making their presence even stronger. As Catholic Easter is two days away, take a look at four Mediterranean Easter bread-like foods that contain eggs and take ideas for your Easter table!
1. Italian Casatiello Napoletano
Italians’ love for stuffed breads, either sweet, like Christmas panettone, or savory, is well- known! Casatiello, that is originally made in Napoli, is a traditional bread that contains lard, brewer’s yeast, pepper, as well as a mixture of cheeses like pecorino, and cold cuts like salami.
For this recipe, eggs are placed on top of the bread and crosses of dough cover them. Plus, you can add some boiled eggs inside the bread instead of using them for decoration purposes only!
2. Italian Scarcella
Another Italian food for Easter is Scarcella, which is very similar to Casatiello, and one could say that it is a smaller and prettier version of it! These small and cute breads often come in fun and creative shapes that are connected to Easter, such as doves and baskets, being ideal for family cooking.
Also, they are garnished with multicolored sprinkles and they taste really good!
3. Spanish Mona de Pascua
In Spain, the traditional sweet bread for Easter is Mona de Pascua, that godparents offer to their godchildren. It usually has a round shape, it has a sweet taste, and it contains hard boiled eggs.
However, the variations are many, and nowadays they can be much more creative and complex. A common combination of ingredients is sugar with eggs, chocolate, butter, yeast, jam, and flour. Again, the eggs are placed on top and secured by dough layers.
4. Greek Tsoureki
Although Orthodox Easter is one month away, Greek bakeries are filled with Greeks’ favorite sweet bread, named Tsoureki, that is shaped in a way that the three braids of dough represent the Holy Trinity.
It is a fluffy, soft bread with rich flavor and incredible aroma, coming from mastic and mahlab. Eggs are prominent at this bread as well, as people place red dyed eggs inside the braids.
