Easter dishes
spring holiday breakfast and feast table
living calendar tradition
Easter, margučiai, šaltiena, ham, sausages, horseradish, cake, spring table
Easter breakfast, Easter table
After Lent
The Easter table is traditionally more abundant than fasting periods. Eggs, meat, dairy products, and sweet bakes return to it.
In the context of Easter breakfast, the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia mentions margučiai, šaltiena, ham, sausage, and cake. According to the encyclopedia, sacred ritual holiday foods in Lithuania were made already from pre-Christian times, and the most important sign of the Easter table is margučiai.
Margučiai first
Margučiai are eaten, tapped, and given as gifts. They are not only decoration, but the beginning of Easter breakfast.
Horseradish, salt, butter, and bread fit beside them.
Meat and horseradish
Ham, sausages, šaltiena, and smoked meat dishes bring fullness back after Lent. Horseradish adds sharpness and freshness.
This combination clearly separates the Easter table from the restraint of Kūčios.
Cake and spring
Sweet Easter cake or another bake gives the table a festive finish. It is often decorated with glaze, raisins, or powdered sugar.
Spring feeling comes not only from food, but also from light, greenery, margučiai, and family games.
Recipe
How to build a traditional Easter table
The Easter table is more abundant than fasting-period tables. Prepare the margučiai first, then coordinate the meat, horseradish, and cake dishes so the table is filling but not chaotic.
Ingredients
- 12 margučiai
- Šaltiena or a cold meat appetizer
- Boiled or baked ham
- Homemade sausages or smoked ham
- Grated horseradish
- Velykų pyragas
- Bread, butter, salad or mixed salad
Method
- Boil and dye the margučiai in advance.
- Prepare the horseradish, šaltiena, meat dishes, and salads.
- Bake the cake the evening before or early in the morning so it has time to cool.
- At breakfast, place the margučiai first, then the other dishes.
- Cool leftovers safely, especially eggs, šaltiena, and meat.
Notes
The Easter table differs by family, but margučiai are the main shared sign.
Horseradish helps balance richer meat dishes.
