Blessed Easter Food has Meaning.

Many traditional foods at Easter have special meanings and thus are blessed on Holy Saturday in most Catholic churches.  Below are a list of these items and what they represent.

 

 

 

Bread made for the Easter celebration is typically rich in butter, sugar , and eggs, which used to be forbidden during Lent.  The bread symbolizes Christ, who is our True Bread come down from heaven.  The loaf is often decorated with a cross and may be encircled with a braid of dough to represent a crown. 

  

Salt is necessary for life and reminds us to follow Jesus’ command to be the salt of the earth.

 

 

     

Eggs come in many forms in the Easter basket, all of them symbolizing new life and Christ’s resurrection from the tomb.      

 

 

 

 

Cheese, because of it’s mild flavor, symbolizes the moderation that Christians  should have in all things.  There are many easy-to-make sweet Easter cheeses that can be made a few days before the blessing of food.      

 

 

 

Butter reminds us of the bounty of God and the goodness of Christ which we should show toward all people. The butter is often in the form of a lamb, to remind us of the Paschal Lamb, Christ, who was willingly sacrificed for our sins and now is risen from the dead.       

 

Horseradish mixed with grated pickled beets is red in color to symbolize the Passion of Christ.  The bitterness of the horseradish recalls the suffering of Christ.    

 

 

Sausage/Kielbasa is indicative of God’s favor and generosity and is also an item that was forbidden throughout Lent.  

 

 

Ham, in it’s richness, is symbolic of great joy and abundance.  All pork products represent Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Covenant, in which pork was forbidden, and His establishment of the New Covenant.

 

 

 

 

Bacon reminds us of God’s overabundant mercy.      

 

 

 

 

Wine recalls the Blood of Christ which was spilled for us on Calvary.        

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vinegar reminds us of the gall or sour wine which was given to Jesus to drink on the cross when he was thirsty.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pepper is another reflection of the bitter herbs, which signify exile, Christ’s sufferings, and the sufferings of this life.      

 

 

 

 

Poppy seed rolls, nut rolls, cheesecake, and other

cakes and pastries may be included to represent the sweetness of God’s love for us. After abstaining from sweet foods throughout Lent, these treats taste even sweeter.