Food plays a crucial role in Greek and Cypriot Easter, from thick lamb soup to break the fast to boiled eggs that are thrown rather than eaten. Words: Georgina Hayden
There’s no feast like a Greek Easter feast. When I was a child, we’d spend the day in my grandparents’ Greek-Cypriot taverna in London with cousins and friends. Sometimes we’d go to Cyprus, to the Troodos Mountains near Limassol. At my grandfather’s village, everyone would be out, drinking ouzo after church until well into the night.
To appreciate our joy, it’s important to understand what happens during the weeks leading up to this. For over 40 days, we’ll eat plenty of vegetables, but no meat, dairy or eggs. On Easter Saturday, we go to church to light a candle at midnight. We come home at 2am, catch a few hours’ sleep and get up early to begin cooking in earnest.
MAGIRITSA