I don’t know what it is about getting older that makes me miss items that were a staple of my childhood. Food items most of all. Nostalgia I guess? Or the fact that food can bring back such a flood of emotions and memories.
This year I knew I wanted to do something traditional for Easter. I had grand plans for an entire Ukrainian Easter meal but I scaled it back and decided to just make Paska for Easter. It’s a Traditional Ukrainian Easter bread and something that always graced my Baba’s (grandmother) home as Easter approached. I regret not learning to make it from her. Since she has passed away I realize how many things I missed learning. So last week I watched a Webinar on how to make Paska from the Ukrainian Village in Manitoba. While there is a strong tradition of Acadian foods and culture in Nova Scotia, in the prairies is where many Ukrainians settled. I was unsure of how learning how to make bread from a Webinar would go but I found it really easy to watch and she gave lots of great info. You can find it here.
This bread is a labour of love. You can’t rush it and it needs lots of time to rise as well. It took me seven hours and I consider that lucky. If my house was cooler/draftier it would have taken longer for the dough to rise.
Food memories are strong because they utilize all of our senses – the smell, taste, sight, sound and touch are all combined when eating and the memory can become vivid. Perhaps the fact that we’re living in a pandemic, that it’s been over a year since I saw any family or the fact that it’s been nearly seven years since I lost my Baba make these dishes all that more special. Food memories feel so nostalgic because there’s this context of preparing or eating the food that leads to another memory: to memory of the whole experience of being a family, being nourished and all of this bring you back to that place where you once were.
I picture my Baba’s kitchen often. It wasn’t fancy. But it was functional. And some of my favourite foods were made there.
The Paska recipe isn’t a secret, I invite you to try it if you want. But know, you’re in for an entire day of baking and waiting, baking and waiting. And those decorations are no joke – super labour intensive. But what you get at the end is a pretty amazing loaf of Traditional Ukrainian Easter bread.
Recipe here: https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.67/523.0d0.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Paska-Recipe.pdf
Paska is best enjoyed warmed slightly with butter. A cup of coffee or tea is a perfect pairing. The bread has a sweetness to it, so I never liked it as sandwich bread, but others would eat it with a spicy mustard and leftover Easter ham. But you can experiment and see how you best like it.
**PS – add raisins in and you’ve got Babka. A nice and easy addition.
Happy Easter to you and your family.
– Candice
Paska for Easter
