Chocolate, hot cross buns, and Easter eggs – these are the key flavours of Easter in many English-speaking countries. But what happens in other countries? In many the food is rich with symbolism, either Christian or pagan, or a mixture of both.

Some foods relate to different days over the three or four-day festival. For instance in some parts of Europe chervil soup also called Holy Thursday Soup is made because chervil symbolizes the Resurrection.

Hot Cross Buns appear on Good Friday similar to those carried by ancient travellers. The cross on top was to ward off danger and evil spirits.

Sunday, because it is believed to be the day of Christ’s resurrection, has deep significance for Christians and in many countries it is celebrated it with feasts and special foods.

Eggs are also an important food of Easter. A symbol of life anew, they are also connected with the ancient pagan Spring festivals, with which Easter coincides. In countries around the world eggs are dyed, painted, decorated, or made in chocolate to be presented as gifts.

So let’s take a quick trip around the world to see what everyone is eating this weekend.

Argentina: Easter Sunday is for sharing eggs and a special Easter cake, Rosca de Pascua and of course a huge barbeque.

Australia: Hot cross buns usually make an appearance and Easter eggs are given to friends and family.

Brazil: Pacoca, a peanut candy, clipfish, a white fish, and Easter ring cake. 

Germany: Eggs are dyed green the Thursday before Easter and carried for good luck. Green vegetables are served as well. In other European countries eggs are dyed red in celebration of the resurrection of Christ.

Greece: Orthodox Easter can be a week later than in other European countries. Avgolemono, a lemon, egg and rice soup breaks the long lenten fast. Dishes include faki, a thick lentil soup. Easter Sunday dinner features mint sauce with roasted spring lamb, the symbol of Christ, and mayiritsa soup, a rice and lamb soup that uses the remaining pieces of a lamb killed on Good Friday for Saturday's meal. Sweet things include tsoueki paschalino a braided bread cooked with coloured eggs in it, koulourakia, orange and sesame cookies, and honey and nuts feature in many dishes, such as baklava. See also...

Italy: In Tuscany Florentine love knot cookies, flavoured with lemon are folded to resemble a person in prayer. Italy also has a traditional ricotta-based Easter pie, and a braided bread baked with a dyed egg or eggs. Also baked are pannetone (a fruit and nut bread) and the dove-shaped bread Colomba Pasquale sprinkled with flaked almonds and coarse sugar

Lebanon: After a 40-day strictly vegan fast it’s no wonder it is broken by a massive feast featuring lamb and lots of egg breaking. sweets called maamoul (little icing sugar-dusted semolina cookies stuffed with dates or ground nuts)..

Norway: Paskelbrygg is a special beer, a popular holiday brew today.

Poland: Pretzels, intricately hand painted eggs, and butter moulded into the shape of a lamb is traditional.

Russia: Kulich, an egg bread baked as a tall cylinder, and is filled with orange, almonds and raisins and flavoured with saffron. It is often served with paskha, an Easter dish made from fresh cottage cheese, flecked with dried fruit, shaped like a pyramid and stamped with the letters “XB,” which stand for "Christ has risen" in Cyrillic script. 

Scandinavia: Herring is caught during spring around Easter and served pickled, raw or cured, usually on a bun or alongside rye bread, potatoes, sour cream and akvavit, a special-occasion Schnapps.

Spain: The fry little pastries in olive oil and serve them with various dip. There are also fish soups and asparagus with Spanish garlic mayonnaise are also typical Easter foods. Elaborate chocolate sculptures called "monas" (first established during the 15th century in Catalonia) are on display in many shops. 

Sweden: Fish features in Easter feasts mainly different kinds of herring, a selection of smoked salmon, and perhaps roast ham and various cheeses.

United Kingdom: Hot cross buns flecked with currants or raisins with a cross marked on top are traditional. Some believe the Anglo-Saxons ‘crossed’ the buns to honour the four quarters of the moon. Now it is widely used to symbolize Jesus’ crucifixion.

USA: Easter eggs are popular, and even the White House has a long-standing event of egg rolling on the lawns each year. Ham has become the traditional Easter dinner centrepiece.

What do other countries serve at Easter? Please add any others you know of.