Easter cakes

Saveur ran a great feature this week on Easter cakes and loaves from around the world that I thought I’d share:

‘Greek Tsouréki – a braided easter bread that is probably Byzantine in origin, gets its spicy kick from makhlépi, an essence made from the pits of wild cherries, and black cumin seeds.

Russian Kulich – Russian bakers decorate the dome-shaped tops of their kulich, a golden-brown, yeasty Easter bread, with an egg wash or white glaze, chopped almonds, brightly colored sugar, currants, and candied orange peel.

Italian Gubana – In the Friuli region of Italy, the practice of preparing Gubana, a strudel-like Easter bread filled with walnuts, pine nuts, raisins, and cocoa, dates back to the 16th century.

Italian Colomba – Colomba Pasquale, an Italian Easter bread flavored with amaretto and decorated with candied almonds, is made of the same sweet dough as Christmas panettone. The bread’s name, which means dove in Italian, comes from the traditional practice of molding the dough into the shape of a dove to symbolize peace.

British Hot Cross Buns – Made with currants and iced with the shape of the cross, hot cross buns are traditionally eaten in England on Good Friday. During the Elizabethan Age, the Protestants in England tried to stop the sale of the buns, saying that they were a Catholic tradition, but Elizabeth I passed a law that allowed the sweets to be sold during Easter, Christmas, and funerals.

French Pogne – This Easter delicacy from the Rhône-Alps region of France is perfumed with orange blossom water and molded into a full doughnut shape. Some bakers decorate the top with pink pralines, giving the bread a bright, festive hue.

Finnish Pulla -This braided, cardamom-spiced bread is a common holiday treat in Finland. It can be baked as both a single braided loaf and individual-size knots.

Armenian Choreg – Armenian cooks decorate Choreg, a braided, eggy Easter bread, with sesame or poppy seeds.’

I myself am partial to the Russian kulich, of course, which is a denser and slightly drier cousin of a panettone. I also love hot cross buns. It’s not just my time spent in the UK; they also remind me of my favorite buns from my childhood (they were known as 9 kopeks buns since they cost 9 kopeks. They were also called caloric buns, for self-explanatory reasons).

Trying to find hot cross buns in NYC is more difficult than I thought! You can only get them in some specialized bakeries (Amy’s Bread, D&D, Levain) and they are out of them almost as soon as they appear on the shelves. Ah, the days when I could stroll into the supermarket and just pick up a pack (or two) of hot cross buns at will… Anyway, I digress. Happy Easter and I will share pictures of our kulich on Sunday!