Take a peek beneath the shell of the Easter egg

By AnnaLisa Michalski

Arguably the holiest day in the Christian year, Easter is a time for reflection and repentance.

So how did such a serious day come to be symbolized by pastel-colored eggs?

Because Easter’s date each year is determined by the equinox, the holiday is associated with spring.

Ancient pagans already used the egg as a symbol of spring’s renewal; early Christians adopted their symbol and gave it a new religious meaning: new life in Christ’s resurrection.

Giving loved ones colored eggs is a  spring tradition worldwide. Red-dyed chicken eggs are most popular. But over the years, gift eggs have become more elaborate.

The most famous were jeweled eggs crafted by goldsmith Peter Carl Faberge beginning in 1883. Still produced many years later, the Faberge eggs were originally commissioned by Czar Alexander as Easter gifts for his wife.

In Ukranian tradition, eggs are decorated with pysanki. Pysanki is similar to batik: wax details are painted onto eggs before they are dyed. Portions of the wax are removed before each new dye bath to form intricate colored patterns.

Some art eggs’ shells are blown empty before decorating, but the boiled egg is more common.

Traditionally, eggs were among the foods forbidden during Lent. Eggs produced during Lent were often boiled or pickled to avoid waste. Those preserved eggs were eaten when Lent’s fast was broken on Easter morning.

Deviled eggs and egg salad are not the only options for using boiled eggs after Easter.

Try Scotch eggs: wrap peeled boiled eggs in bulk sausage, bread lightly and deep fry.

Or try a traditional Polish dish, a pan-cooked blend of kielbasa, ham, fresh horseradish and hard-cooked eggs.

Go Danish with skidneaeg, split boiled eggs covered in a rich mustard sauce. Or marble basic boiled eggs in a tea or beet soak.

Whichever you choose, it’s sure to be an egg-cellent meal.

AnnaLisa Michalski, churchland-corner@adminmaven.com