What better occasion to evoke local culinary traditions than holiday lunches? Below you will find our favorite Easter lunch delicay from all over Italy.
In Italy, the tradition of typical Easter dishes is huge and very variegated. When talking about Easter, we can’t help but think of lamb, which is cooked in different ways according to regional traditions.
Lamb: a typical dish for Easter all over Italy
We go from Tuscan stewed lamb, Roman scottadito lamb to the region that has the most affinity with this ingredient, Abruzzo, where they prepare fried or baked lamb chops or lamb with cheese and eggs, a dish that will raise your cholesterol just by looking at it!
“Agnello cacio e ova” is much more than a simple regional recipe, it is a dish that carries with it the very symbols of the Christian feast, eggs and lamb: for this reason it is very beloved by Abruzzese cuisine, which keeps its tradition alive at Easter.
The connection of the lamb with the feast is described in the Bible, particularly in the tale of the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. Before embarking on the journey to the Promised Land, each Hebrew family had to sacrifice a lamb, marking the shutters of their house with the blood of the animal, so that the Angel of the Lord, who came in the night to bring justice by killing all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, could recognise their homes and spare the children of the innocent. For Christianity, the lamb represents the son of Jesus Christ, ready to sacrifice himself for the redemption of the sins of mankind.
Casatiello: a Neapolitan tradition for Easter
Another regional delicacy, this time from Campania, is his majesty the Casatiello, a typical Neapolitan rustic cake. A kind of savoury doughnut filled with cheese and cold cuts, baked in the oven with whole eggs in the shell on top.
Torta Pasqualina: a typical Ligurian Easter dish
Among the typical Ligurian Easter dishes, we cannot avoid mentioning her: the legendary torta pasqualina. The original recipe for this cake called for 33 layers of very thin pastry to represent the years of Jesus at his death. Today, however, much less is used and in some cases it is prepared with puff pastry. The filling includes prescinseua (a typical Ligurian cheese) or ricotta, wild herbs and hard-boiled eggs.
Torta al formaggio: a typical central Italy Ester savoury cake
Another tasty dish is Torta al formaggio, a large, soft leavened cake typical of central Italy, especially Umbria, Marche and Tuscany, made with Parmesan, pecorino and other local cheeses. It is a typical speciality of the peasant tradition, according to legend born in medieval monasteries.
Stracciatella alla Romana: a tasty soup for Easter
We can’t forget the stracciatella alla romana that is a tasty and hearty soup, a simple and poor dish that is still prepared in the homes of grandmothers and aunts with small variations from region to region. The recipe for this very special soup is very simple, it is made with meat broth and a mixture of eggs and Parmesan cheese: dipped into the boiling meat broth it turns into soft and tasty flakes.
After this overview of the recipes that the people of the beautiful country prepare for Easter, what do you think about popping in for a Rome Tour and try our traditional Easter dishes?
Some of these are also easy to prepare at home, so try them all!
