It’s Greek Orthodox Easter in a few days. And needless to say that there is no Greek Easter without lamb being roasted in every house that day!
Therefore, on our new post we’ve got a wonderful recipe for roasted lamb that many of us make this day but if you’re in Greece you can always find it in a good traditional tavern or a restaurant.
This year, Greek Orthodox Easter is on May 1st, right in the heart of spring! It’s the best time, weather wise that is, to celebrate a feast in which the Greeks are so much dedicated. Which means, that yes, Easter is the Greeks’ favorite religious day!
We’re in the middle of the Holy Week, a few days before Easter Sunday. This implies a bundle of preparations that need to be done. A thorough and meticulous house cleaning, dyeing eggs in a bright red color, baking tsouréki – a kind of sweet bread flavoured with mahlepi and kakoulé- and baking a huge amount of our traditional Easter cookies. Greek Easter cookies are extremely delicious and tasty but there are two key factors that distinguish them from any other cookie. First of all, the use of fresh butter made from sheep’s milk and secondly the use of baking ammonia as a leavening agent. While the cookies are being baked, the house fills up with the beautiful scent of the butter and the strong odur of the ammonia which of course cooks off during baking. This ingredient is essential in order to obtain the wonderful crispness of the cookies. And as Greek women say “There’s no Easter cookie without ammonia”!
