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Easter breads such as kulich, paska, and choreg are delicious Easter traditions. Easter is by far the most important religious holiday for those practicing Eastern Christianity. In addition to church services and egg dying, the holiday is also marked across the cultures by ritual bread baking.
Despite the wide geographic area covered by Eastern Christianity and the diversity in history and cultures to be found there, most recipes for Easter breads are remarkably similar brioche recipies, differing mostly in presentation and added flavorings.
The sweetness and richness of the breads are meant to symbolize the joy of the resurrection. However, most of these foods also pre-date Christianity and thus also pay homage to the older pagan traditions that Easter subsumed in these cultures. Thus, they also mark the rebirth of nature during spring and express hope for fertility and bounty in the coming agricultural season.
The Many Names of Easter Bread
All of the breads named below can be found online referred to as “Easter breads” in English, usually with a preceding adjective indicating the country of origin. The names used in the original languages, however, vary widely and come from many different sources.
The kulich (кулич) is a major symbol of Easter in Russia and parts of Belarus, Ukraine, and Georgia. Its name is most often cited as originating from the Greek word “kollix,” which simply means “a loaf of bread.” However, the proto-Slavic “kolach” (kolačь), which refers to something round, is also very close phonetically to the Russian word and is still used in many Slavic languages to refer to round pastries and breads. The top of each kulich in Russian is called a “корона” (crown). It is usually topped with a powdered-sugar frosting which is often allowed to drizzle down the sides of the cake. The spikes created are meant to be vaguely reminiscent of Christ’s crown of thorns.
Armenia’s choreg (չորեկ) had its name derived from either Greek or Turkic, from a word that refers specifically to “round bread.” Choreg dough is baked as a wound snail-shell shape, a braided circle, or, most often, a braided oblong shape. This dish was once called bastir (պսադիր), a now-archaic Armenian name that referred specifically to Christ’s crown of thorns. It’s unclear when the linguistic shift occurred.
In the Balkans, Bulgaria’s kozunak (козунак) is related to the Bulgarian word for hair (коса), and refers to its trademark braided formation. The breads found in Serbia (pogača) and Croatia (pinca) have their names derived from the Byzantine Greek “pogatsa” and Latin “panis,” respectively. Both sources refer to bread. Interestingly, Croatia also has pogača, but there the term refers to a puff pastry.
Ukraine uses the term “paska” (паска) for its Easter bread. Paska is derived from “pesach,” the Hebrew word for the Passover, which is celebrated around the same time as Easter. The Russian word for Easter, “Paskha” (Пасха) comes from the same source. Meanwhile, Ukraine uses the term “Великдень” (The Great Day) to refer to Easter, similar to the Polish “Wielkanoc” (The Great Night). Interestingly, Russia also has an Easter-related food called “paskha” (пасха), although this is a sweetened mixture of quark, butter, dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes spices that is eaten on Easter, often as a spread for kulich.
Georgian uses the terms “kulich” and “paska” interchangeably for a dish that most often closely resembles what Russians call “kulich.” Georgia also has an older and more native (although now rarer) Easter bread called “nazuki” (ნაზუკი), whose name, descended from Persian, translates roughly as “delicate.”
The Many Tastes and Presentations of Easter Bread
Despite the wide variety of names applied, nearly all of these recipes can be understood as variations of brioche. All are heavy on eggs and dairy fats. They are yeasted and allowed to rise at least twice to make the bread lighter and fluffier. They are produced in stylized forms, are lightly sweet, and often contain nuts, candied or dried fruit, zest, and/or various spices.
Interestingly, more distinct differences can often occur between families of one culture than occur between different cultures. Not only can the flavorings differ from family to family, but wide differences can be found in the ratios of flour to milk, butter, yeast, eggs, etc.
Yet there are also certain identifying factors, such as a specific presentation or certain flavorings, that mark a recipe as belonging to a specific type of Easter bread.
The kulich, for instance, is baked as a distinctive upright cylinder typically formed by baking the bread in aluminum cans or special store-bought paper forms. Nuts, raisins, vanilla, and/or a mix of chopped, candied fruits providing an array of colors are typical additions to the dough. The kulich is topped with royal icing and sometimes with nuts, dried fruits, or sprinkles for added color. Spices are almost never used, with turmeric perhaps the most common and added largely for color. The letters “ХВ” traditionally top the cake. They stand for “Христос воскрес,” or “Christ is risen,” the traditional greeting among Russians and Ukrainians at Easter. The response to this greeting is “Воистину воскрес” in Russian and “Воістину воскрес” in Ukrainian.
Paska, meanwhile, is sometimes identical to kulich in Ukraine. A second version, however, is typically wider than it is tall, although still thick and round. This version usually has no additions to the dough. The top of the bread is decorated with designs made from the bread itself, often a cross of braids, an “ХВ,” or other pattern. As it is rather plain, it is often served with condiments like butter and fruit preserves.
Pogacha is also typically baked without additions to the dough. It is also baked year-round as a typical dinner bread. However, for Easter it is usually baked in a braided or pull-apart formation with the individual pieces soaked in butter and the top brushed with egg before baking.
Kozunak is typically made from braided dough in an oblong, rectangular, or circular shape. The top of the loaf is brushed with egg, dusted with sugar, and often sprinkled with slivered almonds before baking. The dough is most commonly flavored with vanilla, lemon juice, and/or lemon zest. Raisins soaked in rum or brandy are also common additions. Sometimes a filling is placed between the braids that may contain nuts, chocolate, poppy seeds, dried fruit, Turkish delight, quark, cocoa, marmalade, and/or honey.
Choreg is highly distinctive by its use of spices. Mahleb (a spice made from ground cherry pits) is always added to the flour. Nigella seed (sometimes called black caraway or black cumin) either ground and added to the flour or sprinkled on top with sesame seeds before baking is also typical. Less common spices to add include mastika, fennel, anise, ginger, and/or others.
Nazuki contains honey, raisins, and spices like cinnamon and cardamom. It is traditionally baked in a tandir oven and thus sometimes only allowed to rise once instead of multiple times. However, if baking in a traditional oven, at least two rises should be allowed to avoid the loaf becoming tough.
All of the cultures these recipes come from have many other foods and, in a particular, other deserts (cakes, pastries, bars, etc.) that are associated with Easter.
The Symbolism of Easter Bread
For Eastern Christianity, Easter marks the end of the great Lenten fast. Thus, foods associated with Easter are typically given great importance as people return to their regular diets.
Easter breads are baked before Easter, often on the preceding Friday. They are then taken in a basket to church on Saturday with other foods meant to be consumed on Easter. Brightly colored hardboiled eggs are usually in the basket along with perhaps dairy fats, meats, and other items that had been forbidden to the faithful during Lent. The church holds a special service on the Saturday before Easter in which a priest blesses the basket of foods. Often, the breads, eggs, and dairy are eaten for breakfast on Easter – a good way to reintroduce fats to the digestive system before what is usually a heavy feast for Easter dinner.
That Saturday is one of the busiest for most Orthodox churches in Eurasia. It is said that the shape of the cylindrical kulich represents the tomb of Christ, while the white color of the bread symbolizes his purity and resurrection. Some cultures believe lower, circular breakfast breads represent Golgatha, the hill on which Christ was crucified. Kozunak, choreg and other braided breads often have three strands, representing the Holy Trinity. The act of breaking and sharing bread is also reminiscent of Christ and the disciples and an act unity for the family. Many breads, like pogachi, are made specifically to be pulled apart and shared.
Although today heavily associated with Christianity, the tradition of ritual spring breads dates back to ancient, pre-Christian times. In Russian mythology, the goddess of spring and fertility, Lada, is said to have baked kulich as a symbol of the renewal of life. Similarly, in Ukrainian mythology, the goddess of fertility and harvest, Marzanna, is said to have baked kulich to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Georgian nazuki is descended from a Persian food once associated with Navruz, the ancient Zoroastrian holiday still celebrated in many places in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and elsewhere. In fact, Georgians often present their Easter breads with freshly sprouted wheat grass, a distinct tradition also descended from Navruz celebrations.
In some cultures, the breakfast breads once carried other meanings as well. For instance, Russian peasants in tsarist times often baked several kulich breads for Easter. At least one would be for the family to eat, but another would be given to the local priest as a tithing and others fed to farm animals to ensure their health and virility. Still another might be baked and left in honor of dead relatives in a traditional “красный угол,” or “red/beautiful corner,” where Russian houses traditionally kept icons. Some also believed that the kulich could prophesize the family’s fate for the coming year. If the kulich rose well and formed nicely, the family would do well. But if the dough did not rise, or if the kulich crust cracks, then the family could expect misfortune. Russian peasants typically baked simpler kulich breads than those eaten today, with local fruits and no frosting, marked only with a cross cut in the top.
Today, it is common to not bake your own Easter breads in many cultures. Instead, you can place an orders at a local bakery or, perhaps more commonly, simply buy one from the stacks that appear at grocery stores or even roadside stands.
In any case, Easter breads are ancient traditions that still play a strong role in the cultures of Eastern Christianity today. This Easter, try to make one yourself!
Let’s Cook!
| Кулич “Оригинальный” | “Original” Kulich |
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Our Favorite Videos about Kulich
Make a kulich with Russian celebrity chef Alexander Seleznev! For those interested in learning more about paskha, Alexander can help you out there too!
This 9-minute video by “Готовим Дома” (Gotovim doma) shows a simple, quiet, step-by-step guide on how to prepare kulich. It takes you through the process of preparing the dough and baking kulich. Learn Russian cooking verbs (наливать, перемешать, накрывать, печь, и т.д.) while seeing the action on video. This recipe is particularly long, but it also offers baking tips and suggestions, and allows you to observe the texture of the batter at every stage in the process. The original recipe can be found on the website of “Готовим Дома” here.
“Сливочное масло? Растительное масло? Маргарин?” (Butter? Vegetable oil? Margarine?) As with many popular holiday fares, for which each family has its own recipe, it all boils down the personal preferences. This is a clip on kulich and the Easter celebrations from the Russian program “Вкусная Еда” (Delicious food).
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