Easter Dining Traditions

The word bun, we are told, almost certainly derived from the Greek word ‘boun’ which referred to a ceremonial cake of flour and honey, baked in a crescent shape and offered to the gods. Small, ceremonial cakes, intended to be eaten at the time of the Spring festival and regarded as food for the gods, or of the gods, (and therefore potentially powerful), are a feature of Indo-European life from ancient to modern times. Italian and French Easter bread, as well as the English hot cross buns, are all modern forms of this custom. It is doubtful, however, that many people now regard them with the magical abilities that they were once supposed to possess.

In fact, the supernatural properties of the original hot cross bun (or Good Friday cake as it was also known), were so widely accepted in Tudor times that a London by-law forbade their sale at any time other than on Good Friday – or at burials! Fortunately, now we can buy these at any time of year and you can slather butter onto yours with your very own Studio William butter knife.

In the US, however, lamb is not usually the most significant dish. Instead, many families sit down to the roast ham and the origins of this are not Christian, but in fact Pagan! You may not have known it, but that juicy ham on your dining table dates back to at least 6th-century Germany, according to Bruce Kraig, the founder of the Culinary Historians of Chicago and is there to honour spring and the goddess Eostre.

Whatever meal you choose to enjoy, be sure to do so with a cutlery set that matches the occasion!