18 Easter Dishes From Around The World (You Have To Try #11!)

Easter and the end of the Lenten season brings many families around the world together to enjoy a unique taste of an important holiday tradition. Take a journey through many amazing flavors and customs that will inspire you to try something new this year!

Kulich – Russia

This traditional meal for Orthodox Christians, of which there are many in Russia, is eaten after Easter in celebration. It is essentially a piece of bread placed into a colorful box and decorated with white icing. The priest will bless many loaves of bread after Easter for this purpose.

Mämmi – Finland

This Finnish dessert is made of rye flour, molasses, and orange zest. It sits for a while to sweeten and is then baked to set before being further set to chill for 3-4 days. It is served with cold cream and sugar. It’s a great meal for Good Friday since it’s prepared days in advance and cooking is against Orthodox custom on Good Friday.

Easter Ham – U.S.

Pagans repeatedly decided to eat ham on Easter, so it just became a tradition to serve ham on Easter for those celebrating. This way people might feel welcome in the church because the customs were familiar.

Bun and Cheese – Jamaica

A twist on the English tradition of serving hot cross buns, the bun and cheese is a traditional Easter treat in this island nation the flew under the British flag for some 300 years.

Capirotada – Mexico

This traditional Mexican dish resembling bread pudding is normally eaten during Lent and especially on Good Friday.

Torta Pascualina – Argentina

This spinach and ricotta pastry tart is traditionally served during Lent. The pastry crust and ricotta filling distinguishes it from an ordinary quiche.

Advocaat – Netherlands

This traditional Dutch alcoholic beverage is made from eggs, sugar and brandy, and is very similar to eggnog. Different spices, alcohols, and sweeteners can be added to vary the drink’s potency and flavor.

Hot Cross Buns – Netherlands

Not only popular in the U.K., this spiced English bun is an Easter staple in the Netherlands as well. The pastry bears a very appropriate cross representative of the crucifix. We’re all also familiar with the lovely tune all aspiring musicians must learn.

Tsoureki – Greece

This brioche-like, egg-based bread is an Easter staple in Greece and nearby Eastern European countries. Its braided dough is typically shaped and decorated with dyed eggs to be split and shared amongst Easter guests.

Ma’amoul – Lebanon

This shortbread pastry is filled with dates, pistachios, or walnuts. They are shaped in balls but can be flattened out like cookies and may be specially moulded or decorated by hand. These are very popular amongst Christians in the Gulf States.

Fanesca – Ecuador

This soup dish is typically served during Holy Week leading into Easter. Primary ingredients include fig leaf, gourd, bacalao (a salted cod cooked in milk), and a dozen different types of beans meant to represent the 12 apostles. Eggs and avocado can complement the dish.

Fesikh – Egypt

This traditional Egyptian fish dish consists of fermented and salted mullet. While not specifically associated with Easter, it is eaten during Sham el-Nessim, a traditional spring celebration about the same time.

Casatiello – Italy

Hailing from Neopolitan cuisine, this traditional dish is typically served the day after Easter for outdoor lunches. This salty pie is a bread dough stuffed with various types of salami and cheese.

Boiled Eggs with Shrimp – Sweden

The dish is served exactly the way it sounds. A typical Swedish Easter meal. The fresh dill on top is also part of the tradition.

Osterchüechli – Switzerland

This pastry is traditionally found on Easter brunch tables across Switzerland. It is filled with a fragrant vanilla and lemon-zest-flavored milk rice with almond.

Babka Wielkanocna – Poland

This is the Polish version of Kulich. This classic Easter Sunday brioche yeast cake is also a tradition in other Eastern European countries. It is typically glazed with vanilla or chocolate icing and decorated with candy fruit and/or almonds.

Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá – Brazil

Have fun pronouncing this one. It’s a casserole of dried and salted cod (the Bacalhau part) combined with potatoes, egg, olives, and onions all drizzled with olive oil.

Osterschinken im Brotteig – Germany

This is a German version of the Easter ham. The simplest version is just an Easter ham cooked in bread dough. You can add an egg in the middle for a variation.

Le Gigot d’Agneau Pascal – France

Simply put, this is an Easter roasted leg of lamb. The French like to keep it simple.

Cape Malay Pickled Fish – South Africa

In South Africa, Good Friday brings about the tradition of eating pickled fish. The origins of this traditions are unclear, but it is a solid one. It’s served mainly with — you guessed it — hot cross buns.

Páskaegg – Iceland

Iceland enjoys special decadent chocolate eggs on Easter thanks to the famous chocolate factory Nói Síríus in Reykjavík. Each egg has a shell of rich and creamy chocolate that is filled with candy and decorated with flowers and toy chicks to represent the coming of spring.

Frejon with Obe Eja – Nigeria

Good Friday of Holy Week is observed with a traditional lunch of bean puree and fish stew. Obe Eja, a savory tomato-based fish stew, is combined with a sweet coconut bean soup (Frejon) for a filling and tasty meal on the final days of the Lenten season.