Easter recipe ( Easter traditions)....1

Easter is just fews days to go and its time to know what we need to cook to make Easter very festive,here is given Easter traditioal recipe....

Celebrating spring ( Easter)

Originally Easter was called Pascha after the Hebrew word for Passover, a Jewish festival that happens at this time of year. It was replaced by Easter, a word which is believed to have evolved from Eostre, the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility and springtime.
The date of Easter is determined, like its pagan festival equivalent, by the lunar calendar. In 2010, the Easter weekend starts with Good Friday on 2 April and ends on Easter Monday, 5 April.

Simnel cake

Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday. For many Christians, this is a period of fasting and repentance in preparation for Easter, culminating in a feast of seasonal and symbolic foods. In the late 17th century, girls in service brought a rich fruit cake called simnel cake home to their mothers on the fourth Sunday of Lent. The cake was enriched with marzipan and decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles minus Judas, who betrayed Christ.

• Try baking a traditional simnel cake this Easter. Simnel cake recipe
• If you don't like fruit cake, then try this indulgent take on the traditional simnel cake, bursting with chocolate and homemade marzipan. Chocolate simnel cake recipe
• Mary Berry uses ready-made marzipan in her version. Simple simnel cake recipe

Hot cross buns

The Greeks and Egyptians ate small cakes or buns in honour of the respective goddesses that they worshipped. Buns marked with a cross were eaten by the Saxons to honour their goddess Eostre - it is thought the bun represented the moon and the cross the moon's quarters. To Christians, the cross symbolises the crucifixion.

• Recipe for hot cross buns - Bake some traditional spiced, sticky glazed fruit buns with pastry crosses.
• Hot cross bun loaf - This loaf makes 12 thick slices.
• Cinnamon and orange hot cross buns - A traditional recipe with a twist.
• Hot cross bun pudding recipe - This Easter version of a bread and butter pudding is a great way to use up any leftover hot cross buns.

Easter eggs

Throughout history, eggs have been associated with Easter celebrations. In ancient times, the egg was a symbol of fertility and new beginnings. Christians adopted this to represent their Saviour's resurrection.
The tradition of colouring eggs in bright colours - representing the sunlight of spring - goes back to the Middle Ages and is still an important custom for many Christians. In Germany it's traditional to paint eggs green and eat them on Maundy Thursday while in Greek and Slavic cultures eggs are dyed red as a symbol of the blood of Christ.
As time has gone on, the decoration has become more elaborate with colourful patterns, images of flora and fauna, and in some cases delicate gold and silver leaf details. The most famous and ornate of Easter eggs must be the jewelled and enamelled eggs that Fabergé was commissioned to make for the Russian tsars.

Rabbit and lamb

Another traditional symbol of Easter is the rabbit. Known for its fertility, it symbolises new life. The lamb was adopted from the lamb sacrificed at Jewish Passover and for Christians it came to signify Christ's death on the cross.

Just njoy

........more recipes for childer is to be posted soon....