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Paskha (also spelled ''pascha'', or ''pasha''; russian: па́сха; ; " Easter") is a Slavic festive dish made in Eastern Orthodox countries which consists of food that is forbidden during the
fast Fast or FAST may refer to: * Fast (noun), high speed or velocity * Fast (noun, verb), to practice fasting, abstaining from food and/or water for a certain period of time Acronyms and coded Computing and software * ''Faceted Application of Subje ...
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Great Lent Great Lent, or the Great Fast, (Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, meaning "Great 40 Days," and "Great Fast," respectively) is the most important fasting season of the church year within many denominat ...
. It is made during Holy Week and then brought to Church on
Great Saturday Holy Saturday ( la, Sabbatum Sanctum), also known as Great and Holy Saturday (also Holy and Great Saturday), the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday (in Portugal and Brazil), Saturday of the Glory, Sabado de Gloria, and Black Saturday or Easter ...
to be blessed after the Paschal Vigil. The name of the dish comes from Pascha, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of Easter. Besides Russia, Ukraine, etc., pashav is also often served in Finland. Cheese paskha is a traditional Easter dish made from tvorog(like cottage cheese, rus, творог, tvorog), which is white, symbolizing the purity of Christ, the Paschal Lamb, and the joy of the Resurrection. It is formed in a mold, traditionally in the shape of a truncated pyramid which symbolizes the first Passover in Egypt, a nod to Christianity's early Jewish beginnings and a reminder that the Last Supper of Jesus was a
Passover Seder The Passover Seder (; he, סדר פסח , 'Passover order/arrangement'; yi, סדר ) is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew c ...
. Others believe the pyramid is a symbol of the Trinity, the Church; Tomb of Christ). It is usually served as an accompaniment to rich Easter breads called paska in Ukraine and kulich in Russia (where the "paskha" name is also used in the Southern regions). The Easter foods; bread and cheese paska are very rich and made of many dairy items given up during
Great Lent Great Lent, or the Great Fast, (Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, meaning "Great 40 Days," and "Great Fast," respectively) is the most important fasting season of the church year within many denominat ...
. They are brought to church on Easter to be blessed by the priest. The pascha is decorated with traditional religious symbols, such as the Orthodox
three-bar cross The Patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the religious symbol of Christianity, and is also known as the Cross of Lorraine. Similar to the familiar Latin cross, the patriarchal cross possesses a smaller crossbar placed above t ...
, and the letters ''X'' and ''B'' (
Cyrillic letters , bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця , fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs , fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic , fam3 = Phoenician , fam4 = G ...
which stands for ''Христосъ Воскресе which translates to Christ is Risen .'' In addition to the main ingredient (''tvorog''), additional ingredients, such as butter, eggs, smetana (sour cream), raisin,
almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
s, vanilla, spices, and candied fruits can be used. The paskha can either be cooked or uncooked (raw). ''Cooked paskha'' is made in the form of an egg
custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fro ...
, to which the remaining ingredients are folded in. An ''uncooked paskha'' is made simply of the raw curd and the other ingredients mixed at room temperature. Since uncooked curd cannot be conserved for a long period of time, these paskhas are typically made smaller. The tvorog is first pressed in order to eliminate the maximum amount of liquid possible, then put twice through a sieve to make a homogeneous mass. If the paskha is cooked, this mass is then heated. The pan containing the mixture is then placed in a container of cold water and progressively cooled. Afterward, it is placed in a traditional wooden mould assembly called ''pasochnitsa'' (пасочница), with a layer of cheesecloth protecting the mould. The wooden mould can be taken apart for cleaning; however, more modern materials, such as plastics, are used nowadays. The mould is cooled for twelve hours in a cold, but not freezing place (typically in a cellar or
refrigerator A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
). Finally, the paskha is turned out of the mould, the cheesecloth removed, and put on a dish. It may then be decorated with candied fruits, nuts, or flowers. In contemporary times, cheese paska is not always formed in a mould and is sometimes served in a mound on a plate. The paskha (or at least a portion of it) will be placed in an
Easter basket An Easter basket, also known as a Paschal basket, is traditionally, a basket containing the foods traditionally forbidden to consume during Lent (meat, eggs, and dairy products), that is blessed by a priest for breaking the Lenten fast. This conti ...
together with other festal foods, and taken to church to be blessed.


Gallery

File:Храм " Кулич и Пасха".jpg, An 18th-century Troitskaya church in St. Petersburg , known as "Kulich and Paskha", because the rotunda of the church resembles kulich, while the adjacent belfry has a pyramidal form reminiscent of paskha. File:Paskhakustodiev.jpg, Boris Kustodiev's ''Easter Greetings'' (1912) shows traditional Russian '' khristosovanie'' (exchanging a triple kiss of peace), with such foods as Easter eggs, kulich and a white, triangular cheese paskha in the background File:Ivan Bilibin 107.gif, Postcard design by Ivan Bilibin displaying cheese paskhas around kulich. "Kulich-city is standing, glorifying itself; Lauding itself over other cities; There is no other place better than me!; For I am all tvorog and dough!"


See also

* Paska *
List of Russian dishes This is a list of notable dishes found in Russian cuisine. Russian cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Russian Empire. The cuisine is diverse, with Northeast European/Baltic, Caucasian, Central Asian, Siberian, East ...
*


References


External links

* * * * * {{Cheese dishes Cheese dishes Easter food Russian cuisine Russian desserts Slavic Easter traditions