Easter food traditions like exchanging Easter eggs and baking hot cross buns have been around for years. Both adults and children indulge in these treats during the Holiday, which is a time for eating, drinking and making merry. However, there is significance behind these customs, just as there is significance behind eating roast lamb and a side of carrots for Easter lunch. We delve into Easter food traditions to discover why people eat specific foods during this time.
Hot cross buns
The first literary reference to hot cross buns was made in 1733, in the rhyme “One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns”. However, it is believed that they were eaten before that. Hot cross buns are believed to have originated when a monk in St Albans made them on Good Friday to distribute among the poor, in the 12th century. Queen Elizabeth I banned them in the 1500s. The crosses that are piped on top of the buns signify Jesus’ crucifixion, and spices like cinnamon symbolise the spices used to embalm Jesus after the crucifixion.
Chocolate eggs
Chocolate eggs are a relatively new Easter tradition. In ancient times, eggs were considered a symbol of fertility. France and Germany only started making chocolate eggs in the 1800s. Cadbury’s made the first chocolate egg in 1875. Initially, the eggs used dark chocolate. Some of them were solid, while others were hollow, filled with sweet treats like candied almonds. Chocolate eggs are meant to symbolise rebirth, fertility, new life and the onset of spring. They are the most popular food item during Easter.
Easter bread
Bread, symbolising Christ’s body during holy communion, has been a fixture at the Easter table. Different countries eat different types of bread for Easter. Countries in Eastern Europe make braided, wreath-like bread with brightly coloured eggs as a garnish. Germany and the Netherlands refer to their bread as ‘osterbrot’, which is similar to stollen eaten at Christmas time, while delis in Italy sell panettone. Overall, Easter bread signifies peace and good luck for the new year, and the end of the fasting that is observed during Lent.
Roast lamb
Much before Easter became a Christian custom, Jewish people ate lamb as the main meal during Passover. Since Passover usually falls around Easter, Jews who converted brought the tradition with them when Christianity was conceived. The roast lamb, mainly eaten for Easter lunch, symbolises goodness, purity and Jesus’ sacrifice (Jesus is also considered the ‘Lamb of God’).
Carrots
Earlier, it was a tradition for children to leave carrots out for the Easter bunny, who brought eggs for them. These days, carrots are used as a side dish with the main dish that’s roast lamb. Besides being eaten as a savoury side, carrots have also become popular as a sweet more recently. Carrot cake decorated with mini marzipan carrots has become a popular item for shops to sell during Easter. Carrots mainly symbolise spring, and food for the Easter bunny.