| ITALIAN EASTER |
| "La Festa di Pasqua" |
We celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring.
It is a celebration of rebirth and hope and, for Christians, a celebration of the
resurrection. In Italy, the week before Easter is the most solemn of them all.
It is a time of refection and special church services beginning with the
observance of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday and culminating in the
glorious celebration on Easter Sunday. Italians consider Easter Sunday to
be a more "relaxed" holiday than Christmas. There is an old saying, "Natale
con I tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuol" (Christmas at home with your family, Easter
with whomever you please.)
It is a celebration of rebirth and hope and, for Christians, a celebration of the
resurrection. In Italy, the week before Easter is the most solemn of them all.
It is a time of refection and special church services beginning with the
observance of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday and culminating in the
glorious celebration on Easter Sunday. Italians consider Easter Sunday to
be a more "relaxed" holiday than Christmas. There is an old saying, "Natale
con I tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuol" (Christmas at home with your family, Easter
with whomever you please.)
In addition to the many religious observations at Easter time, there is a
traditional Easter feast with a great deal of symbolism found in the foods
prepared. No Easter table would be complete without eggs, lamb, and bread.
traditional Easter feast with a great deal of symbolism found in the foods
prepared. No Easter table would be complete without eggs, lamb, and bread.
According to tradition, the egg represents the origins of life, rebirth, hope, and new beginnings. Eggs are abundantly present in the Easter breads and sweet
and savory cakes of the season. The unquestioned symbol of Easter throughout Italy is the chocolate egg. They are usually hollow, often with a gift inside.
Their heights range from a few inches to several feet. The chocolate eggs are traditionally wrapped in a bright, colorful foil fanned out in a beautiful display
and sometimes embellished with ribbons, bows, and flowers. It is thanks to the famous Piedmontese chocolatiers at the end of the 1700's that we owe the
creation of the first chocolate Easter egg.
and savory cakes of the season. The unquestioned symbol of Easter throughout Italy is the chocolate egg. They are usually hollow, often with a gift inside.
Their heights range from a few inches to several feet. The chocolate eggs are traditionally wrapped in a bright, colorful foil fanned out in a beautiful display
and sometimes embellished with ribbons, bows, and flowers. It is thanks to the famous Piedmontese chocolatiers at the end of the 1700's that we owe the
creation of the first chocolate Easter egg.
The lamb, representing innocence and the sacrificed Christ (the lamb of God), is referred to as the Pascal lamb. It is the meat of choice on an Italian dinner
table at Easter. Many families will roast an entire lamb. We are providing you with a wonderful recipe for a basil-stuffed lamb roast with rosemary potatoes
along with several other lamb dishes. Lamb keeps its place on the Easter table even with desserts. The often-elaborate lamb-shaped Easter cake can be
found as the centerpiece on many Italian Easter tables.
table at Easter. Many families will roast an entire lamb. We are providing you with a wonderful recipe for a basil-stuffed lamb roast with rosemary potatoes
along with several other lamb dishes. Lamb keeps its place on the Easter table even with desserts. The often-elaborate lamb-shaped Easter cake can be
found as the centerpiece on many Italian Easter tables.
Bread also has a religious significance at Eastertime, for Christ is often referred to as "the bread of
life." Hand-fashioned egg-decorated breads vary from region to region in Italy and go by many different
names. But the commonality of baking whole eggs twisted or braided into bread is part of the theme of
Easter; again, eggs being the symbol of rebirth. A traditional Easter bread similar to panettone is the
Colomba Pasqua. It is baked in the shape of a dove, a pagan symbol of the coming of spring as well
as the sign of the Holy Spirit in Catholicism, and also a sign of peace and the resurrection.
life." Hand-fashioned egg-decorated breads vary from region to region in Italy and go by many different
names. But the commonality of baking whole eggs twisted or braided into bread is part of the theme of
Easter; again, eggs being the symbol of rebirth. A traditional Easter bread similar to panettone is the
Colomba Pasqua. It is baked in the shape of a dove, a pagan symbol of the coming of spring as well
as the sign of the Holy Spirit in Catholicism, and also a sign of peace and the resurrection.
Last, but not least, are the desserts. The masterpiece of Neopolitan pastries is La Pastiera, a wheat-berry cake with ricotta, candied fruit, and orange
blossom water. The Sardinian Pardulas, also known as formagelle, combine the delicate flavor of pastry dough and citrus flavoring with the taste of fresh
cheese. In Bologna, rice cake used to be made only at Easter, an occasion for spirited rivalry among those families that claimed to have the most delicious
and authentic recipe.
blossom water. The Sardinian Pardulas, also known as formagelle, combine the delicate flavor of pastry dough and citrus flavoring with the taste of fresh
cheese. In Bologna, rice cake used to be made only at Easter, an occasion for spirited rivalry among those families that claimed to have the most delicious
and authentic recipe.
| Mangia Bene Pasta |
| Chi mangia bene, vive bene Who eats well, lives well |
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