Photo Credit: aglaiakremezi.com
For all of you out there, who like me, get just a little bit jealous of all those beautiful dyed egg crafts floating around the internet just about now, I have GREAT NEWS for you……there is actually a Jewish tradition that includes decorating eggs in a gorgeous artful way for Passover (and some possibly do it for Shabbat as well) called huevos haminados! And of course a roasted egg is one of the symbolic foods we place on the seder plate.
Okay, I know, this comes at a time when you don’t have even an extra minute to think about decorating eggs Jewish style, but keep this in mind for next year, or even do it during the week of Passover, who can resist? Oh, and of course, this isn’t just a decorative thing, the eggs are eaten as they have a distinct flavor and creamy texture! And best of all, no food coloring involved!
Now, where in fact this tradition of decorating eggs came from, it is hard to say, but since it dates back to the Ladinos, the Sephardic Jews exciled from Spain in 1492, I think it is okay to go ahead and just enjoy, as this definitely pre-dates that cute little bunny and the chicks and the colored eggs by hundreds of years.
Photo Credit: thekitchn.com
For more gorgeous photos and a recipe, check out this post, but don’t miss this post which is from a wonderful site I just discovered called Aglaia’s Table. Aglaia lives on Kia Island in the Cyclades (Greece) and has some amazing recipes for Mediterranean cuisine on her site. I even found a recipe for young pickled grapes that my husband is very fond of and tried to make last summer (at the time I found it quite strange, now I see it is a regional cuisine kind of thing!)
And by the way, if egg decorating still rubs you wrong, get this: I looked up the origin of egg decorating, and as it turns out, it is not just a long standing Eastern European decorative art, it is also a Persian tradition for the Spring Equinox (from which the egg decorating that goes with the bunny came, apparently), as well as an Egyptian tradition.
Enjoy, and happy Passover preparations!
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