For people of Greek Orthodox faith, Easter (or Pascha) is a significant time of year. Greek Easter follows the lunar calendar, and so often falls in a different week to the traditional Christian calendar for Easter. The week leading up to Easter is full of religious significance as well as some serious food prep! Greek Orthodox Australians enjoy these traditions to varying degrees at home and you may find some of us scouring Greek supermarkets in search of special ingredients. Or attending the special midnight service on Easter Saturday. For us here at Olympus Cheese, we connect with some of our long-standing Greek and Cypriot customers at this time to supply cheese and yoghurt for their Easter Sunday celebrations. We explain the traditions, and the foods, that make a Greek Easter unique.
Lent
Easter actually begins for Greek Orthodox Christians on Kathara Deutera, also known as Clean Monday. This day marks the first day of Lent, seven weeks prior to Easter Sunday. Lent is a Great Fast, lasting forty days. Fasting signifies the cleansing of the body and strengthening of the spirit, to prepare for the Resurrection during Easter. A traditional fast abstains from any animal products which have red blood. This includes meat, poultry, dairy eggs, fish and seafood with backbones and sometimes olive oil.
Many Greek Orthodox Australians still fast traditionally during Lent. Others may restrict a certain food, such as cheese or meat. Or they may not fast at all until Holy Week – from Palm Sunday one week prior to Easter. Fasting signifies the cleansing of the body and strengthening of the spirit, to prepare for the Resurrection during Easter.
What is Holy Week?
Holy Week beings on the Saturday of Lazarus and continues until Easter Sunday. During this week, the Church holds both morning and nighttime services. Each day holds a special significance on the Greek Orthodox calendar, reliving Jesus’ last days. Good Friday, or Holy Friday is a day of mourning on the Greek calendar. At nine o’clock there is often a symbolic funeral procession. Church bells ring for the mourning of Christ and his crucifixion. You can understand a little more about the Liturgical Meaning of Holy Week by visiting the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia’s website.
Great and Holy Saturday
Great and Holy Saturday commemorates the burial of Christ. A day of great waiting. Much of Saturday is spent preparing foods for Easter. There is a Church service on Saturday night and worshippers gather with candles. The room is dark and the air is very sombre. At midnight the priest announces into a darkened room “Christos Anesti”, which means Christ Has Risen. At this moment there is much celebration. Some churches even organise fireworks.
This event signifies the beginning of Easter Sunday. On this day, there are many special foods eaten in great celebration and festivity in homes across Australia. So what do we eat?
Magiritsa
The meal to break the fast is most often Magirista or Mayiritsa, eaten right after the midnight church service. This is a traditional Greek soup made from lamb offal, lemon, dill, lettuce, rice with avgolemono (egg and lemon sauce). As a whole roasted lamb is usually cooked on Easter Sunday, this soup takes the leftover parts of the lamb to flavour this rich soup. This is the traditional Mediterranean way of using the whole animal, never wasting.
Red eggs
Greek and Cypriot communities often give the gift of Paschal eggs. These are eggs which we dye red, traditionally on Holy Thursday. On Easter Sunday, they are broken in a game called tsougrisma or they can be eaten hard boiled. They symbolise the blood and sacrifice of Christ.
Flaounes
In Cypriot households, the traditional bread eaten on Easter Sunday is Flaounes. Every household has a way of making Flaounes, and the recipe is usually handed down through the family. The recipe is a sweet pastry filled with halloumi cheese and other cheeses and often raisins. It includes a sweet spice called mahlepi which is made from ground cherry pits. The pastry contains a resin called mastic, which is made from the sap of a tree grown in the Mediterranean.
Making Flaounes is quite time consuming – it can take around 3 hours to make. In Australia it can also get expensive as ingredients are imported. Our Cypriot communities often come to us for unsalted halloumi to use in the bread. This year, a lovely customer had gifted us flaounes as a thank you (pictured above). We can’t wait to taste these delicious sweet breads on Easter Sunday. As is common in our communities, yiayia’s hold these amazing recipes, often committed to memory. We hope they continue to be passed down through generations.
Tsoureki
Tsoureki is the Greek Easter bread, which is delicious plaited bread with a buttery texture similar to brioche. It is made with flour, milk, butter and sugar and is also made with mahlepi and the resin mastic. In addition, there may be orange zest, almonds, cinnamon or raisins to flavour. Sometimes, red eggs are used as decoration with the bread. Neos Kosmos shared the delicious tsoureki recipe for Easter Sunday, as well as a little more about our special Easter traditions.
Easter Sunday Feast
The celebratory meal is held on Easter Sunday usually for lunch with the whole family. It usually involves the centrepiece of spit-roasted roast lamb (Arni sthn Souvla) as well as traditional salads like Greek salad with fetta, halloumi salad, moussaka, and Easter biscuits like koularakia paschalina, kalisounia (Greek cheese pastries) and a delicious mezze platter including luscious foods like fig, cheeses, olives and fish.
Greek Orthodox Easter is all about family and enjoying good food together. From our family to yours, we hope you have a wonderful Easter. If you like, why not try some of our recipes using Olympus Cheese and Yoghurt, and enjoy your own Mediterranean feast this Sunday.
Our recipes
Halloumi & Corn Bites
While piping hot grilled Halloumi with lemon will always have our heart, we have become quietly obsessed with these super simple and delicious Halloumi & Corn bites. Great for the whole family with minimal prep and bake time. You could even try these in the air...
Fetta Whip Dip
We've whipped up (see what we did there) a recipe for the best Fetta Whip Dip you'll taste. This dip is perfect parts salty, tangy and creamy and isn't for the weak using both our Fetta and Labneh cheeses. Fetta Whip Dip Food Processor or Blender 150g Fetta100g...
Labneh Pasta Salad topped with Fetta
A beautiful fresh pasta salad mixed with Labneh, red onion, semi sundried tomatoes, chives, olives and topped with fetta. Labneh Pasta Salad topped with Fetta 2 tbsp Labneh3 cups cooked pasta20g Fetta 30g Diced Olives30g Semi Sundried Tomatoes3 tbsp chopped Chives1/2...
Zucchini and Halloumi Fritters with Avocado Salsa
A tasty upgrade to the classic zucchini fritters by adding Halloumi and a delicious Avocado Salsa.
Grilled Halloumi and Vegetable Salad
This Olympus Grilled Halloumi and Vegetable salad takes the season’s tastiest vegetables and pairs them with salty halloumi for a taste sensation!
Halloumi and Avocado Wrap with Chicken
Our halloumi and avocado wrap pairs with chicken breast, and the gorgeous fresh flavours of tomato and coriander. You can also add our easy and tasty spicy yoghurt sauce if you like!
Halloumi, Bacon & Honey Brussels Sprouts
Try this halloumi, bacon and honey brussels sprouts recipe to accompany meat or simply on its own. Your tastebuds will truly thank you!
Traditional Greek Salad
A traditional Greek salad – in the heat of summer there is nothing more deliciously fresh. Find out how to make a perfect version using Olympus fetta.
Fetta and Sweet Potato Salad with Brown Rice
A gorgeous Olympus Fetta and Sweet Potato Salad with Brown Rice hearty enough to be a complete meal for meat-free Monday or served with a lovely grilled salmon.
Olympus Halloumi and Watermelon Salad
A beautiful halloumi and watermelon salad. Luscious salty halloumi and sweet juicy watermelon, mint, rocket and a sweet balsamic glaze.
Fetta, Pistachio & Cranberry Cheese Log
A Christmassy cheese log featuring Olympus fetta, roasted pistachios and delicious cranberries. A gorgeous texture and balance of tang, sweet and salt.
Smashed Avocado and Fetta on Toast
Want a Smashed Avocado and Fetta Toast recipe you’ll come back to again and again? Combine our creamy Olympus Fetta with avo, lemon and herby basil or mint.