Emily Culf
For the average Nottingham student, Easter is a time where we slam our laptops shut and get some long-needed rest. Whilst indulging in all the hot cross buns and chocolate eggs Portland Building SPAR has on offer. Emily Culf explores what Easter means for certain communities around the world, how traditional Easter dishes vary from country to country – so let’s take a look at a few!
Giant Omelette – France
From frog’s legs to fromage, l’escargots to éclairs, the French are famous for their delicious, yet often bizarre recipes. However, the small town of Bessières in the South of France takes this sense of absurdity to an entirely new level, with their omelette festival.
Across the Easter weekend, local residents gather for the annual Bessières Fête de l’Omelette Géante Festival, taking part in parades, performances and Easter egg hunts before concluding with one cracking feast – a giant omelette!
The egg-sperts of the organisation, name themselves the Global Brotherhood of the Knights of the Giant Omelette
The egg-sperts of the organisation, name themselves the Global Brotherhood of the Knights of the Giant Omelette, scrambling to collect and cook over 15,000 eggs into one dish, large enough to feed over 2,000 people.
The egg-xact origin of the giant omelette festival is unknown, yet one popular theory suggests that the tradition was born through a visit from Napoleon during his travels across the South of France. Napoleon chose to rest near Bessières with his army and was gifted an omelette prepared by a local innkeeper. Mesmerised by the dish, he ordered the townspeople to gather eggs and create one giant omelette for his entire army the following day.
Regardless of the legitimacy of this theory, the festival prevails as a testament to the local community that gathers to share this meal. One that we can only egg-spect to continue growing as it passes its official 52nd anniversary this year.
Pizza Chiena – Italy
Moving over to Italy, it comes by no surprise that their traditional Easter dish has pizza in its name! Pizza Chiena, originating in the Campania region of Southern Italy, roughly translates to ‘stuffed pizza’, containing a variety of ingredients including eggs, cheese and cured meats.
Traditionally, the dish is cooked on Good Friday and served the following day to seal the duration of Lent, using a variety of leftover ingredients from the fasting period.
Whilst it may have pizza in its name, the dish itself takes the form of a pie. The exact definition of the dish as either a pizza or a pie is a term that varies from one family to another, so I think to settle the debate here, it should best be described as a hybrid.
Pickled Fish – South Africa
Served cold, marinated in a blend of various fresh spices, curry sauce and topped with vinegar, pickled fish or Kerrievis is a meal enjoyed across South Africa, particularly during the Easter period. Due to the Christian tradition of not consuming meat on Good Friday, the dish emerged as a suitable alternative for families to enjoy after their Good Friday church service.
Yet, despite the meal having strong associations with Christianity, it is a dish greatly enjoyed by Muslims and people of other religious backgrounds in South Africa. Ultimately, transforming Easter into a holiday that is more than a religious occasion, one that unites communities of all faiths across the nation. In an interview with Al Jazeera, culinary historian Errieda du Toit explains that the meal is “a dish born out of cooperation and respect; acceptance and tolerance. A peacemaker.”
Tsoureki – Greece
Interestingly, the Greeks celebrate Easter later than other western countries, following the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar used in the UK. Tsoureki, a distinctive type of bread made from three braids to represent the holy trinity in Christian culture, is typically baked on the Greek Holy Thursday. Due to certain Christian practices where dairy is forbidden across the Easter weekend, the bread cannot be consumed until Easter Sunday, acting as a conclusive celebration of the period.
Most notably, the bread can be coated with a variety of toppings, including ganache, hazelnuts and even dyed eggs! Coloured red to represent the blood of Christ, the hard-boiled eggs are soaked in edible red dye, before being pressed into the dough, a tradition enjoyed by both Christian and non-Christian communities across the country.
Chocolate Bilby – Australia
Taking his place down under instead lies the Easter Bilby
Despite Hugh Jackman’s iconic performance in Dreamworks’ Rise of the Guardians (2012), it may come as a surprise that the Easter Bunny is not a common concept in Australia. Taking his place down under instead lies the Easter Bilby, a chocolate version of a rabbit-like mammal, with an important message for animal conservation.
Native to Australia, the bilby originated as two species: the Greater Bilby and the Lesser Bilby, with the latter becoming extinct during the 1950s due to habitat loss. The Greater Bilby still exists today but is categorised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a vulnerable species, at risk of extinction. However, thanks to recent Australian Easter traditions, the livelihood of these cute, little animals has continued to prevail.
One spring evening in 1968, 9-year-old Rose-Marie Dusting discovered a small, injured bilby whilst exploring the fields of Richmond, Queensland, and named him Billy. Inspired by this encounter, she wrote a story of Billy the Aussie Easter Bilby for a school writing task, achieving an A* and later Rose-Marie’s story was published.
This book helped to crown the bilby as Australia’s alternative to the Easter Bunny, with profits from the book and its characters going towards bilby conservation efforts. Over 30 years ago, various chocolate manufacturers began to sell chocolate bilbies in supermarkets as an alternative to Easter eggs, contributing to successful reintroductions of the species across North, West and Southern Australia.
However, in recent years, companies like Cadbury have discontinued their sales of chocolate bilbies, making it an increasingly rare product. Therefore, if you ever find yourself down under, make sure to seek out the chocolate bilby – it is an Easter treat that could make the world of difference!
Emily Culf
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