It all starts early on the Saturday morning before Easter and continues until well after the sun has set. My Ukrainian wife will begin to prepare the array of goodies that we will enjoy the following day after church.
This poses an interesting menagerie of food. Included are the usual springtime assortment of salads containing my favorite food groups, potatoes and macaroni, but the best part is all that mayonnaise. Nothing quite compares to that soybean oil and raw egg concoction to add healthy favors to almost anything that’s edible. None of that low-fat stuff either. We like the artery-clogging, cholesterol-popping “real” mayonnaise. I can even tolerate okra with mayonnaise. Well, maybe not. Every condiment had its limitations. To me, okra is the beef liver of vegetables. Prepare it anyway you want but it remains okra.
Ukrainians love all things pork.
Kielbasa is by far the top draw on the meat list, followed in a close second place with hams the size of a Buick. Of particular note in fine Ukrainian cuisine, is a dish called Studenetz. This gastrobomb is created by cooking unwanted pig parts with pork fat, gelatin and pork stock, then letting it cool in the refrigerator, producing a mouthwatering pudding. I fondly refer to this as Meat Jello. Another delight is pig’s feet, which was one of my father-in-law’s favorite foods.
Now, I know you’re picturing those jars of unidentifiable parts, neatly packaged for the grocer’s shelf. Nope. He liked those smoked ones with the little worn-out brown hoofs on them and the tiny hairs protruding from the skin. Yum.
Cooked beets then go through the blender, infused with fresh horseradish and served as a topping for everything from kielbasa to bread. As a matter of course, there’s always the obligatory hard-boiled eggs. The blend of ham, kielbasa, eggs and potatoes all cooking at the same time on the preceding day, creates a memorable aroma around the house, if you know what I mean.
All the meats are then stored in a refrigerator that we have tucked away in a far corner of our basement for the next day; the same fridge we use for beverages. This gives the aromas time to ferment in the refrigerator until the first unsuspecting kid goes down there looking for a soda. The adult pallet is more sophisticated and appreciates the fine bouquet of smoked meats. No so much with my grandchildren.
My mother-in-law had a talent for making Babka, a sweet Easter bread. She would place the dough in ever container she could find in the house to let it rise before baking. They were scattered all over the kitchen, rising until they overflowed like wonderfully lopsided chef’s hats. My favorites were the ones she made in her old, 2 pound coffee cans. They looked like gigantic mushrooms with a dark brown wrinkle-finish, made by brushing them with egg whites. She then arranged bath towels on every bed in the house where the cooked Babka would be placed to cool. The thing that made some of them really unique was that she baked hard-boiled eggs right inside the bread.
Olga’s family likes that beet and horseradish combo to spread on it, but a big fat slab of butter works pretty well too. Maybe I’ll try some mayonnaise, now that I’m thinking about it.
Another of the annual events is the Easter Egg hunt. My wife stuffs those two-piece plastic eggs; some with candies and others with quarters. She proceeds to hide them all over the yard, so the little ones can find them easily. It amazes me how the squirrels get a few of them open every year. And, we can’t figure out what they do with those quarters. Then, she hopes that the sun doesn’t warm them too much. The kiddies are not usually pleased with melted chocolate sticking to the inside of those plastic orbs. The yard can be a little soggy from the melted snow but their moms really appreciate the kids boots caked with little presents the deer and rabbits have left behind for them to find.
The best part for me is in the summer when I find the plastic eggs that the kids missed. Usually it’s when the lawn mower sends the colored plastic flying into the neighbor’s yard. I let them keep the quarters and candy for the inconvenience.
The Ukrainians have their priorities right. For them, Easter is a celebration greater than Christmastime. With virtually no commercialization it keeps the emphasis on the Holiday itself. Preparing all those goodies a day in advance, leaves Sunday to focus on the Resurrection of Christ, as we gather to enjoy the company of family and our close friends.
Easter greetings are not expressed with “Happy Easter”. The greeting, “Христос воскрес” that you see in the title, sounds like Christos Voscras in English. It translates “Christ is Risen”. The former may bring to mind the Resurrection or possibly the rites of spring and new birth or possibly colored eggs and cute bunnies. However, “Christ is Risen” serves to remind us of the reality of the Holiday.
May God bless you and your family as you celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.
