Christian communities across India celebrate Easter with aplomb after the 40 days of abstinence during Lent. Though the traditional meal differs in each, it invariably consists of meat, in some form, along with a sumptuous spread.
Lamb has always been considered a religious symbol, yet, every region of India has its own favourite meat on Easter. While eggs and Easter bunnies, symbolising hope and new life, are commonplace among children, an Easter spread, centered around meat, is enjoyed with fervour after the fasting period.
Easter is all about tradition. Alluring images of food on Instagram not withstanding, deep down, everyone craves for a home-cooked meal. After all, it is all about memories.
East Indians 
The native Christians of Mumbai, the East Indians, traditionally ate duck and rabbit. Today, however, pork has replaced these as the main meat for their celebrations.
Chef Shannon Lawrence, sous chef, The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai, looks forward to the family Easter meal. “Generally, the family tradition is to eat an elaborate roast pig. But sometimes, there is a pork sorpotel or pork sambari too.”
Painstakingly prepared days in advance, pork sorpotel is an old delicacy. Made with their coveted bottle masala , it is enjoyed with fugia , which is deep-fried bread made with fermented maida , eggs and coconut milk. It is also eaten with chittiap , a popular flat bread that is similar to appam s. Pork sambari , made with ginger, garlic, bottle masala and spices, is unique owing to the pearl onions and tamarind, which balance the dish.
Chef Lawrence recalls the wedding pulao , an elaborate rice dish with boiled eggs, caramelised onions and dry fruit that used to be a must-have on Easter during his grandparents’ time. “Each family member used to clamour for the eggs in the dish, but only the lucky first few got them,” he reminisces.
“Mutton tope , a spicy mutton bone curry, is also a favourite. During the last boil, poha is added, to absorb the spices and thicken it. Our family, however, skips the poha and prefers to wallop the curry with the home-made fugia s. Dessert, is invariably the baked coconut and semolina, thali sweet and of course, Easter eggs made by mummy.”
Up North
Christians in North India, usually indulge in chicken and mutton, as their choice of meats. Using everyday, local ingredients and spices, a larger variety of dishes is prepared for this feast.
A Punjabi Christian, chef consultant Bakshish Dean believes in relishing a traditional meal on Easter. Meat aloo curry, mutton or jeera pulao, raita , a vegetable, salad and halwa is always their typical lunch. The meal is home-cooked from scratch with his own spices, and halwa , a Punjabi favourite, is always the first choice for dessert.
Syrian Christians
In Kerala, the choice of meats on Easter varies in every region. While it is chicken or mutton mappa s with palappam s, or beef ularthiyathu , a dry roast and pork peralan in Kottayam, Alappuzha prefers duck prepared in coconut milk and mild spices. Pork is eaten in Angamaly, while in Fort Cochin it is pork vindaloo, beef chops and stew.
The Central Travancore Christians enjoy pairing their meat with the white, fluffy vattayappams , made with fresh palm, sweet toddy, raw rice, sugar and coconut.
Says Chef Saji Alex, chef de cuisine, Kochi Marriott, “My mother’s mutton mappas , pork peralan , beef ularthiyathu with palappam and meen (fish) vattichathu along with pulissery and rice were my favourites as a child, and the flavours still linger in my memories.”
To the East
The Anglo-Indians in Bengal prefer to start their breakfast with buffarth , a chicken stew with bread. But Chef Silvester Surajit Roy admits that although the Bengali Christian cuisine has a strong Anglo-Indian influence, they generally relish a desi organic chicken as a roast on Easter. “We follow a European recipe, but with a Bengali touch. We add turmeric and a ginger-garlic paste, and it is paired with pilaf rice.”
He adds, “In the absence of an oven, this chicken was cooked on a chulha in my parents’ home. The heat from the dying embers of the chulha would be perfect to slow-cook the chicken.” A root vegetable preparation with chicken is another speciality in their family.
A pork preparation, with the choi jhal chilli from Bangladesh, is his favourite. “With no ginger garlic, only roasted coriander, cumin and other spices, this chilli adds zest to the dish. Sweets after a meal differ in each family, but, payesh and pathishapta (traditional Bengali rice crepes stuffed with coconut and jaggery) are common.”
