Easter Delights

The Chefs of Academia Barilla have put together two special Easter menus for you, selecting recipes from the wide array of traditional Easter dishes.
Either menu is guaranteed to make this Easter an unforgettable meal. 

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Menus created by the Academia Barilla Chefs

Campania-style Fried Eggs with Cheese
An original appetizer that will amaze your guests.

Egg and rice soup
To continue your Easter meal with a traditional dish, try this light, but flavorful soup.

Lamb with Artichokes
Enjoy this videorecipe for one of the most traditional Easter dishes in Italy.

Colomba
Finish your meal with a dove-shaped Italian cake called colomba: it is a symbol of peace.

Traditional Easter Menu

Asparagus with hard-boiled egg sauce
This delicate appetizer is an ideal way to start your Easter lunch.

Sciusceddu (meatballs and egg soup)
This dish, coming from the city of Messina in Sicily, is commonly eaten on Easter Sunday.

Easter Cake (Torta pasqualina)
The main course of your meal, this savory quiche from Liguria is made with puff pastry, ricotta and chard.

Ring shaped Easter cake
This ring-shaped cake from is enriched with whole eggs, as is the Easter tradition in Southern Italy.

Discover other Italian Easter recipes

Pinza Goriziana (Traditional Easter Cake from Gorizia)
Sweet and very aromatic, this dessert from Umbria is served around Easter time.

Pastiera napoletana
This rich Easter sweet from Naples has a unique, spiced flavor.

Sweet Easter Pizza
Sweet and very aromatic, this dessert from Umbria is served around Easter time.

Food History

Easter is one of the most important holidays in the Christian religion and is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ, three days after he had been crucified. One important detail about this holiday, is that the date changes from year to year. As was decided at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AC, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of Spring and can therefore vary from March 22nd to April 25th.
 
The week prior to Easter, beginning with Palm Sunday, is referred to as Holy Week and is a period of many symbolical celebrations, including the preparation of long tables in churches that represent the table there Jesus held his last supper with his twelve disciples. There is also the procession of Good Friday, during which people try to recreate the Christ’s long walk towards the cross.
 
The importance of Easter in Italian culture is reflected in the country’s food traditions. During Easter lunch in Italy, lamb and eggs are always served. They appear either as part of the meal itself, or as sweets in the shape of these symbols of life and rebirth (in the case of eggs) and of sacrifice of the son of God for humanity (in the case of the lamb.)