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Paskha (also spelled ''pascha'', or ''pasha''; russian: па́сха; ; "_
Church_may_refer_to:
_Religion
*__Church_(building),_a_building_for_Christian_religious_activities
*_Church_(congregation),_a_local_congregation_of_a_Christian_denomination
*_Church_service,_a_formalized_period_of_Christian_communal_worship
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Paskha (also spelled ''pascha'', or ''pasha''; russian: па́сха; ; "Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...
") is a Slavic festive dish made in Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
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 ...
of 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 denomin ...
. It is made during Holy Week
Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...
and then brought to Church on Great Saturday to be blessed after the Paschal Vigil
Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a liturgy held in traditional Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Historically, it is during this liturgy that people are ba ...
. The name of the dish comes from Pascha
Pascha (or other similar spellings) may refer to:
* Passover, the Aramaic spelling of the Hebrew word ''Pesach''
**Pesach seder,_the_festive_meal_beginning_the_14th_and_ending_on_the_15th_of_Nisan
*Easter.html" ;"title="san in the Hebrew c ..., t ...
, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of Easter. Besides Russia, Ukraine, etc., pashav is also often served in Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
.
Cheese paskha is a traditional Easter dish made from tvorog
Tvorog (russian: творог) is a Russian white cheese.
Творог, Творо́г, or тво́рог, is a non-liquid white fermented milk product, traditional for Eastern, Northern and (less often) Central Europe, obtained by fermenting mi ...
(like cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keep ...
, rus, творог, tvorog), which is white, symbolizing the purity of Christ, the Paschal Lamb, and the joy of the Resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...
. It is formed in a mold, traditionally in the shape of a truncated pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...
which symbolizes the first Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...
in Egypt, a nod to Christianity's early Jewish beginnings and a reminder that the Last Supper
Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...
of Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...
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 isan_in_the__Hebrew_...
.__Others_believe_the_pyramid_is_a_symbol_of_the_.__Others_believe_the_pyramid_is_a_symbol_of_the_Trinity,_the_Christian_Church">Church;_Holy_Sepulchre">Tomb_of_Christ
)._It_is_usually_served_as_an_accompaniment_to_rich_ isan_in_the__Hebrew_...
.__Others_believe_the_pyramid_is_a_symbol_of_the_Trinity,_the_Christian_Church">Church
;_Holy_Sepulchre">Tomb_of_Christ
)._It_is_usually_served_as_an_accompaniment_to_rich_Easter_bread">Easter_breads_called_paska_(bread).html" ;"title="Easter_bread.html" ;"title="Holy_Sepulchre.html" "title="Trinity,_the_Christian_Church.html" "title="Trinity.html" ;"title="isan in the Hebrew ...
. Others believe the pyramid is a symbol of the Trinity">isan in the Hebrew ...
. Others believe the pyramid is a symbol of the Trinity, the Christian Church">Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...
; Holy Sepulchre">Tomb of Christ The tomb of Jesus refers to any place where it is believed that Jesus was entombed or interred. Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It contains, a ...
). It is usually served as an accompaniment to rich Easter bread">Easter breads called paska (bread)">paska in Ukraine and
kulich
Kulich, be, куліч, kulich, hy, կուլիչ, kulich (from Ancient Greek , , "roll of coarse bread"); ka, პასკა, paska, uk, пáска, páska is the Russian name for Easter bread. For the Eastern Slavs, festive bread was r ...
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 denomin ...
. 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 ...
, and the letters ''X'' and ''B'' (Cyrillic letters
The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking c ...
which stands for ''Христосъ Воскресе which translates to Christ is Risen .''
In addition to the main ingredient (''tvorog''), additional ingredients, such as butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condim ...
, eggs, smetana (sour cream), raisin
A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the ...
, 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 genu ...
s, vanilla
Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus '' Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla ('' V. planifolia'').
Pollination is required to make the plants produce the fruit from whic ...
, spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...
s, and candied fruit
Candied fruit, also known as glacé fruit, is whole fruit, smaller pieces of fruit, or pieces of peel, placed in heated sugar syrup, which absorbs the moisture from within the fruit and eventually preserves it. Depending on the size and type of ...
s 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 fr ...
, 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
Tvorog (russian: творог) is a Russian white cheese.
Творог, Творо́г, or тво́рог, is a non-liquid white fermented milk product, traditional for Eastern, Northern and (less often) Central Europe, obtained by fermenting mi ...
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
Cheesecloth is a loose-woven gauze-like carded cotton cloth used primarily in cheesemaking and cooking.
Grades
Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the numb ...
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 together with other festal foods, and taken to church to be blessed.
Gallery
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, known as "Kulich and Paskha", because the rotunda of the church resembles kulich
Kulich, be, куліч, kulich, hy, կուլիչ, kulich (from Ancient Greek , , "roll of coarse bread"); ka, პასკა, paska, uk, пáска, páska is the Russian name for Easter bread. For the Eastern Slavs, festive bread was r ...
, while the adjacent belfry has a pyramidal form reminiscent of paskha.
File:Paskhakustodiev.jpg, Boris Kustodiev
Boris Mikhaylovich Kustodiev (russian: Бори́с Миха́йлович Кусто́диев; – 28 May 1927) was a Russian and Soviet painter and stage designer.
Early life
Boris Kustodiev was born in Astrakhan into the family of a profe ...
'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
Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin ( rus, Ива́н Я́ковлевич Били́бин, p=ɪˈvan ˈjakəvlʲɪvʲɪt͡ɕ bʲɪˈlʲibʲɪn; – 7 February 1942) was a Russian illustrator and stage designer who took part in the ''Mir iskusstva'', contr ...
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
Tvorog (russian: творог) is a Russian white cheese.
Творог, Творо́г, or тво́рог, is a non-liquid white fermented milk product, traditional for Eastern, Northern and (less often) Central Europe, obtained by fermenting mi ...
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, Eas ...
*
References
External links
* * * * * {{Cheese dishes Cheese dishes Easter food Russian cuisine Russian desserts Slavic Easter traditions