Ordered food vs. ritual kept with sanctity by housewives. How Romanians prepare the Easter meal

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From a new habit, many make a tradition of Easter: the holiday menu comes to order! People say that they play it safe with the dishes, and the taste is guaranteed by others. But there are also housewives for whom preparation of the Easter meal it’s a sacred ritual, and time and effort don’t even matter these days. In Moldova, for example, the dishes are taken to the church before being tasted, in a basket called “pascăriță”.

By Clara Mihociu on 04.05.2024, 20:05

Easter meals can be full without hassle and without wasted time. However, a trip to the… restaurant is needed. From a single kitchen in Iaşi, hundreds of trays of sarmale drob, beouf salad and lamb left, just these days.

• Clara Mihociu, Observer reporter: We will pay approximately 400 lei for 8 red eggs, two pastures and two cakes. If we add a kilogram of lamb steak to the menu, we will add another 190 lei to the budget. But, if we take a complete package, which also contains sarmale, beouf or drob salad, then the price is around 700 lei.
• Florin Vechiu, chef: If it wasn’t for the Easter holiday, I think the orders would have doubled.

Sweet dishes complete the Easter offer

• Customer: An Easter, an Easter with cream. I simply don’t think I could make something like that at home, they are very, very good.
• Client: I would say that most of the food was already prepared. The way I cook it is tastier and otherwise, yes, we save time, this is the biggest… in terms of price, it is more disadvantageous if I were to make it at home, but I think the other pluses make up for it.
• Customer: Time, unfortunately time, and I left them on the last hundred meters and had to call.

The housewives who want to give the taste to the plate themselves make preparations even with the days. They have an advantage: the table depends more easily on the price.

Easter traditions, on the other hand, do not die

In Moldova, the “manger” is the basket in which housewives take part of the preparations for Easter to the church for consecration.

• Clara Mihociu, Observer reporter: In every region of the country, what is put in the basket that we take on the night of the Resurrection to the consecration, to the church, in some areas it is obligatory to also put the flour: it represents the growth of the house and we must not share it with nobody. In others, red wine is not missing, but what does not change anywhere are a few things: the cake, the pasca, the red eggs, but especially the new towel placed on top.
• Priest: I bring them to the church to be sanctified and to enjoy the fact that at the Holy Passover meal they will taste the dishes blessed by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
• Elena Pârlog, housewife: It’s too big an event and it’s a huge soulful joy. You don’t come empty-handed, because God gave it to us full of our work.

In Maramureş, the locals don’t go with the basket, but with the traista. Easter, cozonac, wine, eggs and cold drinks. The basket or traista will be consecrated by the priests only at the end of the Resurrection services. Tomorrow morning, the housewives will share some of them in memory of their loved ones who are no longer here.