In Italy, there is a popular expression about Easter that goes “Natale con i suoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi”, which means “Christmas with your family, Easter with whoever you want”. But while the Italian people may celebrate Easter with whomever they want, they can’t eat whatever they want. Tradition dominates the Italian Easter feast, making that meal the most symbolic of all Italian feasts.
Tradition dictates that eggs play a major role in the Italian Easter feast. Why? For Catholics, eggs represent the tomb of Christ. And just as a chick breaks through the to egg to have life, so did Christ emerge from His tomb to give us all life.
To recognize the symbolic meaning of the egg, the Italians have incorporated this ingredient into almost every dish they serve at Easter, starting with the soup. The most popular Italian Easter soup is Stracciatella, a sort of Italian egg drop soup. In Italian, “stracciare” means “to tear apart”. When Stracciatella is made, an egg mixture is slowly stirred into a simmering chicken broth creating shredded strands of egg, which give the soup its name.
Two other popular egg dishes found on the Italian Easter table are “Pizza Chiena” and “Pastiera di Pasqua”. Pizza Chiena, pronounced in America as Pee-Tza-Geen, means stuffed pizza, although it is not a pizza at all. More like a casserole, Pizza Chiena has a flaky, egg-based crust filled with ricotta, mozzarella and Italian meats. Pastiera di Pasqua, or “wheat pie”, is a similar dish but includes wheat for a more hearty, rustic treat.
Leaving eggs behind for a moment, the Italian Easter table features two other ingredients prominently. One is the artichoke. From Sicily to Genoa, a variety of artichoke dishes are served on Easter Sunday because artichokes come from the Holy Land. We have no way of knowing what Jesus ate, but it is likely that He ate artichokes and so the Italians include them with every Easter celebration. Popular ways to serve them are fried (Naples), grilled (Sicily), alla Judea (Rome) or stuffed (everywhere).
The other common ingredient on the Italian Easter table is lamb. In ancient times, lambs were commonly sacrificed during religious rituals. Catholics believe that Jesus of Nazareth made the ultimate sacrifice when He was put to the cross in order to save the world from its sin. For this reason, He is called the Lamb of God and Italians remember His sacrifice by serving lamb every Easter. Lamb also makes a popular Sicilian dessert. Not real lambs, but small cakes shaped like lambs and decorated with white icing to look like thick lamb fur.
Returning our attention to the egg, no Italian Easter table is complete without two of the most popular sweets served throughout the year. Easter Bread, made throughout Italy, is a light and flaky sweet bread coated in a sugary sweet glaze and baked with whole eggs pressed into the dough. The dough is often shaped in rings or crosses or even in the shape of a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Easter Bread is one of the most loved Italian sweets but is only made during Easter season.
The Italians don’t decorate Easter eggs or make big chocolate bunny rabbits the way Americans do. Instead they fill their tables with L’Uova di Pasqua, hollow chocolate eggs with a toy inside. Wrapped in brightly colored metallic paper, L’Uovo di Pasqua are made in a variety of sizes from small to extremely large and are sold at almost any specialty shop in Italy or Italian America around Easter. They make a fun, festive and delicious addition to any Easter table.
As delicious as it is meaningful, the Italian Easter table is one of the most anticipated feasts of the year. And although the expression states that you can celebrate Easter with whomever you want, most Italians still choose to celebrate Easter with their family. And that may be the most symbolic of all the choices you’ll make this Easter.
Tradition dictates that eggs play a major role in the Italian Easter feast. Why? For Catholics, eggs represent the tomb of Christ. And just as a chick breaks through the to egg to have life, so did Christ emerge from His tomb to give us all life.
To recognize the symbolic meaning of the egg, the Italians have incorporated this ingredient into almost every dish they serve at Easter, starting with the soup. The most popular Italian Easter soup is Stracciatella, a sort of Italian egg drop soup. In Italian, “stracciare” means “to tear apart”. When Stracciatella is made, an egg mixture is slowly stirred into a simmering chicken broth creating shredded strands of egg, which give the soup its name.
Two other popular egg dishes found on the Italian Easter table are “Pizza Chiena” and “Pastiera di Pasqua”. Pizza Chiena, pronounced in America as Pee-Tza-Geen, means stuffed pizza, although it is not a pizza at all. More like a casserole, Pizza Chiena has a flaky, egg-based crust filled with ricotta, mozzarella and Italian meats. Pastiera di Pasqua, or “wheat pie”, is a similar dish but includes wheat for a more hearty, rustic treat.
Leaving eggs behind for a moment, the Italian Easter table features two other ingredients prominently. One is the artichoke. From Sicily to Genoa, a variety of artichoke dishes are served on Easter Sunday because artichokes come from the Holy Land. We have no way of knowing what Jesus ate, but it is likely that He ate artichokes and so the Italians include them with every Easter celebration. Popular ways to serve them are fried (Naples), grilled (Sicily), alla Judea (Rome) or stuffed (everywhere).
The other common ingredient on the Italian Easter table is lamb. In ancient times, lambs were commonly sacrificed during religious rituals. Catholics believe that Jesus of Nazareth made the ultimate sacrifice when He was put to the cross in order to save the world from its sin. For this reason, He is called the Lamb of God and Italians remember His sacrifice by serving lamb every Easter. Lamb also makes a popular Sicilian dessert. Not real lambs, but small cakes shaped like lambs and decorated with white icing to look like thick lamb fur.
Returning our attention to the egg, no Italian Easter table is complete without two of the most popular sweets served throughout the year. Easter Bread, made throughout Italy, is a light and flaky sweet bread coated in a sugary sweet glaze and baked with whole eggs pressed into the dough. The dough is often shaped in rings or crosses or even in the shape of a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Easter Bread is one of the most loved Italian sweets but is only made during Easter season.
The Italians don’t decorate Easter eggs or make big chocolate bunny rabbits the way Americans do. Instead they fill their tables with L’Uova di Pasqua, hollow chocolate eggs with a toy inside. Wrapped in brightly colored metallic paper, L’Uovo di Pasqua are made in a variety of sizes from small to extremely large and are sold at almost any specialty shop in Italy or Italian America around Easter. They make a fun, festive and delicious addition to any Easter table.
As delicious as it is meaningful, the Italian Easter table is one of the most anticipated feasts of the year. And although the expression states that you can celebrate Easter with whomever you want, most Italians still choose to celebrate Easter with their family. And that may be the most symbolic of all the choices you’ll make this Easter.
