Laying out a lavish meal for Easter

Easter marks the end of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and penance. Duck roast, pork, mutton and chicken, home-made wine and cake baked with nuts, fruits and traditional sweets form an integral part of the festival. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ.

Apart from the religious connotation, Easter is also a time for families and friends to come together and celebrate. Easter eggs, signifying new life, although a Western concept have caught the fancy of people in India as well. So, in addition to the traditional feast, Easter eggs are distributed among friends. Metrolife spoke to a few families in the City and asked them how they celebrate Easter. Most said food is an integral part of the festival.

The lavish Easter meal differs from one sect to another but the traditional flavour is always retained. Francis and his wife Leela have family and friends coming home for Easter lunch. The day begins with appam and chicken stew. “There is every conceivable non-vegetarian dish on the table. But this year, I hope to get a little experimental and intend to make mutton chops and maybe try out a paneer biryani in addition to the chicken roast and other delicacies,” explains Leela.

Apart from Easter eggs that are made from sugar and cashew nuts, the Simnel Cake is an indispensable part of Easter festivities. It is a light fruit cake covered with marzipan.  Anjana Samuel, who is a Sri Lankan married to a Kannada Christian, celebrates Easter in the traditional Sri Lankan style. After the Easter service, there’s the traditional Sri Lankan breakfast of Kiribath (coconut milk rice) with assorted accompaniments such as Sini Sambhol, which is an onion and dry fish preparation, and Katta Sambhol, which is a spicy chilli dish.

“There would also be milk toffees, marshmallows and traditional sweets such as kokkis (rose cookies) and kevum (similar to adhirasam). For lunch, it is chicken curry or crab curry or other sea food preparations such as prawns, squids, lobsters, or all of these along with brinjal pahi, a tangy brinjal preparation and a variety of vegetables. A must have is green mallung (or mallum). This literally means ‘mix up’ and is a combination of shredded greens, onion, chilli, Maldive fish and coconut,” explains Anjana.  She says the dessert section is most enticing with wattalapam (caramel custard with jaggery), chocolate biscuit pudding, a variety of mousses and puddings or simple curd with treacle, which is concentrated sugarcane juice. Daniel Selvaraj says Easter morning begins with a prayer by the head of the family. “We lead such busy lives and festivals are the only time when the entire family comes together. We always have chicken roast, mutton biryani and a variety of payasam. That’s the highlight of the festival,” he wraps up.