Traditional Easter food in Romania - where to find it?

Romanians are big fans of food, so of course they have special dishes for every big holiday, Easter included. From the traditional Easter painted eggs to sweets such as pasca and cozonac, Romanians like to have everything on their table for this special day. Here is a list of traditional Easter foods in Romania and some places from where you can get them. Traditional Easter foods:

• Painted eggs

The painted eggs are one of the main foods Romanians eat during Easter. They are hard-boiled eggs, colored mainly in red, but in other colors as well. The egg tapping is one of the main Easter traditions in Romania. The rule is simple: one holds a hard-boiled egg and taps the egg of another participant with the intention to break it. The one who breaks the most eggs without breaking his own, wins the game. Egg painting is also a tradition in some parts of Romania, where local artisans create complicated embroidery on the painted eggs, using wax and various colors and motifs. Study confirms: eggs are very popular among Romanians Palm Sunday and Easter traditions in Romania: blessed willow branches, egg painting and tapping

• Lamb dishes

It is customary in Romania to eat lamb meat for Easter. There are several lamb dishes, but most commonly made are lamb haggis (drob in Romanian). Romanians also cook lamb soup, lamb roast, or anything else that can be made of lamb meat, as most people would make sure they include on the menu something made of lamb. So lamb meat suddenly becomes very popular and sought after in Romanian markets and shops around Easter, and is almost impossible to find during the rest of the year.

• Pasca

Pasca is a delicious cheesecake, traditionally cooked for Easter. The recipes and shapes vary from region to region, but it mainly contains sweet cheese and raisins. Its name comes from Paste (Easter).

• Cozonac

This is another desert baked for the Easter period, even if it is not traditionally made only on Easter - Romanians bake cozonac for Christmas and for special occasions too. It is a sweet bread with cocoa, nuts or/and Turkish delight. Like the pasca, the cozonac too can have various shapes and ingredients, depending on the region, but it’s mainly rectangular or round.