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Pasqua is Italy's second-biggest holiday after Natale, and it stretches from Holy Thursday to Pasquetta. Good Friday is a seafood day without meat, church bells ring at midnight to announce Easter Sunday, and il pranzo di Pasqua turns into a multi-course lunch that runs for hours.
The menu changes by region, but lamb, spring vegetables, cheese breads, colomba and chocolate eggs show up nearly everywhere. Pasquetta, the Monday after, brings festivals, picnics, music and games with friends. Here is how to build the feast at home, from antipasti to dolci.
One of the most famous Italian Easter foods, this savory pie is filled with greens, cheese and hard-boiled eggs. It works as an appetizer at the Easter meal and as a snack or lunch all weekend long.
Get the recipe for Torta Pasqualina
Popular across central and southern Italy, this rich pie is packed with eggs, small bits of cured meats and cheeses. Like torta pasqualina, it turns up as a snack or lunch through the weekend and doubles as an appetizer before the big meal.
Sicilian fried rice balls are a typical Easter starter. Crisp on the outside and satisfying within, they sit comfortably alongside the cured meats and cheeses that round out the antipasti.
Crispy fried artichokes complete the list of typical Easter starters. Artichokes are one of the spring vegetables that Italian tables lean on at this time of year, and frying them makes a simple, crunchy opener.
In the north, fresh stuffed pasta leads the primi, and veal-stuffed agnolotti del plin is a popular choice. It is the kind of dish that tells everyone at the table the holiday lunch is officially underway.
Get the recipe for Agnolotti del Plin
In many other areas, pasta served in broth is traditional for Easter lunch, sometimes with polpette, or meatballs. Many families today also flavor pasta and risotto with fresh spring vegetables like artichokes and peas.
Baked pasta is common at large celebrations because it can be made ahead of time. That leaves more time at the table and less at the stove when the whole family arrives.
Get the recipe for Paccheri al Forno
Lamb is the star of the Easter table in Italy, and the preparation depends on the region. In central Italy, expect a roasted leg with rosemary and potatoes. In the south, a stew with spring vegetables like asparagus and peas is the move.
Baked fish is a popular alternative for the seafood lovers at the table. It also echoes Good Friday, when the Italian Easter weekend is built around fish instead of meat.
Cheese breads have spread from central Italy to the rest of the country. They are a typical part of the Easter spread, savory and rich, and they pair well with cured meats and the rest of the antipasti.
A cousin to the Christmas panettone, colomba is a fluffy dove-shaped bread studded with candied orange peel and topped with pearl sugar and almonds. It started in Milano and is now enjoyed in many regions of Italy.
Eggs are a symbol of fertility and new life. Italian confectioners craft elaborate hollow chocolate eggs for Easter and fill them with small toys and surprises, and store windows show them off in the weeks before the holiday.
This rich, sweet pie is filled with ricotta, eggs and whole cooked grain. It began in Napoli, but today it is enjoyed throughout Italy at Easter.
Ingredients for your Pasqua feast are available at your local Eataly, online or through local delivery. Prefer not to cook? The restaurants have Easter festivities of their own.
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