We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
AS TREES BEGIN to blossom with the start of spring, the thoughts of Christians around the globe turn to Easter. Easter is a time for those who celebrate it to be with family, friends, and loved ones.
And what better way to spend time with your favourite people than to stuff your face with delicious and traditional Easter meals? But what these time-honoured treats are can differ dramatically depending on where you are in the world.
We decided to find out just what those typical dishes are. Now we’re hungry.
Mexico
Mexican families traditionally often spend Good Friday eating capirotada, a sweet bread pudding covered in sugary syrup, various fruits, berries, and nuts, and a layer of cheese.
Fanesca is a rich soup served in Ecuador during the week before Easter. It contains milk, gourds, pumpkins, beans, grains, peas, corn, eggs, and salted cod. It is usually served with empanadas or fried plantains.
In Jamaica, Christians eat buns and cheese on Easter. The buns, made with spices and raisins, are cut in two and eaten with slices of cheese, usually cheddar.
Hot cross buns, the English bread made famous by a nursery rhyme, is an Easter tradition. They are baked with currants or raisins and have a signature cross on the top, usually made with frosting.
Advocaat is a long-standing tradition in the Netherlands and is often drank on Easter. It is a creamy Brandy-based alcohol, thickened with eggs and sugar and flavored with honey and vanilla. It is drank by itself or added to puddings, as it is below.
Koulourakia are small butter pastries and are a traditional treat in Greece. The dessert, which has a hint of vanilla and is said to be meant to resemble a snake, is eaten on Holy Saturday.
Also a favorite in Greece as well as countries in Western and Central Asia, tsoureki is a braided brioche-like sweet bread that traditionally comes with eggs dyed red to signify the blood of Christ. The treat is served not only on Easter, but also on Christmas and New Year’s.
In Eastern European countries like Serbia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, and in parts of Russia, Orthodox Christians dine on kulich, a tall cylindrical cake topped with white frosting. During Easter services, the kulich is often decorated with flowers and blessed by a priest.
Easter in Finland is often marked by eating mämmi, a soft and chilled bread flavored with molasses and orange zest and served with a dousing of milk or cream. Mämmi is a long-standing tradition in the area and is included in many other Easter dishes as well.
Torta pascualina is a savoury pie made with spinach, ricotta, and whole eggs that cook as the pie is baked. This traditional Easter dish is a favourite of both Argentine and Uruguayan families.
In the United States, the go-to meal on Easter Sunday is the classic Easter ham, often served with pineapples and cherries.
The butter lamb, arguably the cutest of all the Easter meal traditions, is a common centerpiece on the Easter tables of Russian, Slovenian, Polish Catholics. True to its name, the dish is a sculpture of a tiny lamb made out of butter, often with peppercorns for eyes and a red bow around its neck.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
All talk and no BO%%OX
@David: The boy does what the EU tell him to do, you can bank on it, the review mechanism for the Brexit backstop is an EU led proposal. It’s not like we have never been shafted by the EU before
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: But it’s obviously not an EU led proposal though. Jesus do you have to blame the EU for everything?
@Ricky Spanish: yes they do…always need to have a big boy to blame so you can duck responsibility yourself.
@David: Really? The DUP are calling him intransigent…that’s exactly what I want them to think.
@Ricky Spanish: we would not even consider that unless there was pressure from the EU
@David: spot on david. Weakest leader never voted in. Spineless coward!
@Eugene Tyson: Rubbish
@David: All along the united stance from us and the EU has been that the UK can propose any deal they like so long as there is a proper backstop. IF and yes it’s a big IF this actually allows a deal to be made, good for them.
I’m no fan of FG and I think the housing crisis is hurting our ability to weather Brexit but on this, the answer is obvious. Let the Tories have more rope, it’s either a lifeline or more to hang themselves with. It doesn’t take much to say no to anything and everything that doesn’t involve a proper backstop and that’s not what this is.
He’s finally realising he’s a little boy in a deep pool full of sharks who are happy to toss him around for fun. Poor fella.
@Dr Richard DeWitt: How Richard? Can I assume you’ve cast experience in negotiation, to be able to read into this from afar?
@Dr Richard DeWitt:
He’s going to have to get his uncle Juncker to sort them out.
@Dr Richard DeWitt: When you get a Shark on it’s back it enters a kind of stupified paralysis. Old Britannia is legs akimbo in front of the world right now, like a gin soaked great aunt who has fallen over at a wedding. Must be hard viewing for a pretentious little Walter Mitty like youself?
Getting close to the time to find out:
1. Does Leo have the nerve?
2. Will Europe throw us under a bus (again)?
Interesting times.
@angryDuck: EU can’t throw us under the bus, we have a right to veto any deal.
@B9xiRspG: ways can be found to force us to accept a ‘deal/compromise’ which avoids the veto. When the crunch comes, we will see who is more important, peace in Ireland or German car manufacturers!
@angryDuck: Do you really not know the answer to your question?Well I’ll tell you anyway…..BMW,Mercedes,VW etc.
@Billy McNamara: PS,have you forgotten the German banks so soon?Who won there?
@angryDuck: Will the Brexiters fold?
@angryDuck: Go on, enumerate the many ways you list in your fantasies.
@Billy McNamara: Would those be the same companies who are keeping real quiet and protecting their position within the single market?
Yeah, what about them?
@B9xiRspG: There is no veto. If the EU negotiating leader presents a “recommended proposal” of the withdrawal agreement to the 27 EU leaders, it needs minimum 20 of them to approve it, on the proviso those same 20 account for at least 65 percent of the EU 27 population. Ireland lost its veto after accepting the talks moved on earlier this year.
He’s got a nerve allright, a pharmaceutical tool masquerading as the leader of a country.
@Patricia McCarthy: We’ve had teachers and doctors in the past, not sure what your point is.
@B9xiRspG: My point is he will do whatever his Pharmaceutical Bosses tell him to do. Any tool that sets himself up in Government with a 5 Million propoganda unit, plus his obscene salary and expenses is not for the good of this country. He isn’t a leader, he is a tool of Big Pharma.
@Patricia McCarthy: sure he is. Your reaching Trump levels of conspiracy theory. Congratulations…
@B9xiRspG: And look where that got us to.No point showing his fancy socks to Teresa May.Out of his dept,just like Kenny.We need better leaders.
Leo is playing with the big people now and he has to use creative language” in order to strike a deal. Will he use crayons for writing …
But Leo said the Brits promised last December, and like the Brits never broke a promise have they?
Ultimately this will be a decision made solely by the British and the EU.
Leo and simon may voice their concerns, but as we’ve seen with the 08 bailout the EU will do whats best for the EU and Ireland will be left to pick up the pieces.
We are an insignificant little plot of land on the edge of Europe and that’s exactly how we’ll be treated.
This bull leo and simon spew about having the backing of the other EU members is just that, BULL.
@Trevor Hayden: And yet they’ve backed us all the way in brexit since the very beginning….that must infuriate you.
@Ricky Spanish: It’s nice to see you have so much faith in the EU but i can see you being bitterly disappointed.
As long as there’s proper independent arbitration on the review.
Otherwise there’s nothing to stop Brussels just refusing everything. It’s what they’ve done so far.
I’d say Dublin, but I think we all know where the real decisions are being made.
@Damocles: Ireland and Britain should just refuse to have a hard border, end of, full stop.
@Damocles: the english are not in a position to demand and put caveats on anything. Of course the EU must approve any changes. Only little englanders would think differently. They made this mess and now blame everyone else because they still don’t know what they want.
@Paul Fahey: I agree that it shouldn’t be beyond the wit of mortal man to come up with a solution that works for everyone but it would require cooperation, political will, determination and courage from both sides.
And I’m not convinced that Brussels will allow that. It seems sometimes that Leo says things that are almost conciliatory but then he goes into meetings with Donald Tusk and comes out spouting a sterner line.
@Paul Fahey: end of. Full stop. Fact. Or how not to negotiate
@Paul Fahey: Still living in that fantasy Paul? John Lennon was right…he’s not the only one.
These bunch of politicians are not the right people to steer us through brexit. They’ve shown us they can’t even run their own country properly without brexit. What can a bunch of amateur chancer politicians with nothing more than local county council experience bring to the table on brexit!
@Adrian: looks like Leo has been forced to concede on the Backstop.
I’d love to know how these talks would have progressed if the DUP didn’t hold such sway in the UK government
@Dáibh Tett: it is just a pity those troglodyte have power over the Conservatives, it would be completely different otherwise.
I wonder if sinn féin actually took their seats in Westminster could they take down the tories?
@angryDuck: The numbers were shown at the time it would not have mattered. On a side note are you prepared to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen?
@Frankie Mangan: I’d have no problem with any Irish person swearing allegiance to the rich person as long as it was done mockingly. I’d go wearing my own crown.
@angryDuck: It’s a pity those troglodytes have been in a position to block anything constructive happening on so many occasions, the saying ‘the devils bird has the devils has the devils lucks’ springs to mind. The Good Friday agreement did escape their negative grasp but they did try.
Varadkar has been using “creative language” his whole political life, he has also shown the incompetents Murphy and Harris how to use it, Spin merchant extraordinaire , getting caught out as he plays with the big boys
Funny Leo is not happy with the FF “review” of the Confidence and Supply agreement.
yet he is open to a “review” on the backstop on Brexit.
Is this a sample of Dr Varadkar’s version of his creative language in negotiations ?
Did wereally except anything less from the West Brits?
Michael Collins! springs to mind.
McDonald seems awful sarcastic. And sneering. Why is she like that? What does she hope to achieve with her sarcastic approach, I wonder….permanent sniping from opposition sidelines?
@W Kevin Doyle: well she inspired you to comment and discuss the issue. So well done to Mary Lou.
@Frankie Mangan: on reading my comment you think she has “inspired me”? Surely a politician wants to win my vote? Your response looks like wishful thinking- or non-thinking. Are you a Mary-Lou fan?
Creative language won’t change the fact that you can’t have a soft border without a customs union in Northern Ireland (which the DUP won’t accept) or the whole UK (which May’s government won’t accept).
You also can’t have a hard border without screwing up the GFA and that took decades to achieve.
The minuscule bit of respect I have for Varadkar (as opposed to the huge disdain I have for him) is because of his refusal of a hard border. Let’s see if he fu(ks even that up.
@Kem Trayle: for a second there I thought you were referring to the Gaelic Football Association!!!!
@Kem Trayle: oh he will but on the bright side we will have no border for the christmas shop..we will have to use the irish ferries duty free next year…at least they are prepared.
@Micheal S. O’ Ceilleachair: Do you mean the Gaelic Athletics Association or the GAA?
A West Brit to the bone.
Could Mary Lou pick the nerve to ask their Sinn Fein British MP’s do something useful for Ireland and take up their seats in Westminister at this crucial time in brexit negotiations, or does such a direct order have to come from the SF army council.
Imagine how much worse it could be if Sinn Fein were in power.
Look at their record in the North, abysmal mafia run constituencies where the rule of law is optional, unemployment guaranteed and they dare to lecture in the Dail.
@John Sheehy: You mean withdrawing from the Assembly because of a financial scandal… taking people to account for the billions of taxpayers money that went into the pockets of the chosen few. Did the blueshirts cry out concerning the gangsterism of the banks and developers facilitated by F.F.
always knew this would be the way it would go….unfortunately we’re just too small
Been told what to do.. That’s it… Leo the liar.
What is it with you all, this is Cameron’s folly, how many times do you need to be told, he tried to cement a power base amongst his euro sceptic colleagues and gambled by going to the electorate who after years of austerity shoved two fingers up, now reality has bitten hard and the intelligentsia are rebelling because they realise they and the great unwashed have been shafted, plus it’s not Brussels who now govern them but big bad Arlene and dinosaurs in Belfast, oh dear !@!
Stay strong Leo, like a lion. Or a lioness even, probably even more bite.
Norway !
Media sensationalism bullshit, the Irish message has been consistent and strong
Are the trousers up or are they down and who forgot to pull down the blind… But who’s wearing them now Leo, May or is it Arlene?
If he is getting criticised by SF and DUP he is doing something right. Both are anti European parties and hold no sway in Europe.
Does anybody feel that the referendum was rigged?..should the brits try again.
I always knew the government would buckle and go back on their word.
have your say