A Tisket, A Tasket … What’s In An Italian Easter Basket?

Easter is fastly approaching! Can you believe it? When I think back to my childhood years, I am reminded of waking up early on Easter Sunday to see what goodies the Easter Bunny (aka Mom & Dad) had left in my Easter basket. Easters for me were filled with decorated eggs, chocolate bunnies, small toys, plastic eggs filled with candy, chocolate and money, and baskets with pastel colored ‘grass’ to display the decorated eggs and hold all the Easter goodies.

After a lifetime of the same traditions, and the holiday commercialized to consumers in a grand spectrum each year, I was shocked during my first Easter in Italy last year. No bunny, pastel or cartoon baskets. No brightly colored plastic eggs to place treats in or have an egg hunt with. No aisles and aisles of assorted Easter candies. No egg dye kits.

My first thought was, “Wow, these kids are missing out!”

Yes, I know the Easter holiday has been overly commercialized, but I have fond memories of Easter days of my childhood. I would wake excited to discover what the Easter Bunny had left for me in my basket. We would then head off to church, all decked out in our new Easter attire (I always got a new dress and shoes specifically to wear on Easter Sunday). After church we would go to my grandparents’ house for a big Easter lunch. After lunch, all the kids would make their way run outside to the backyard for an Easter egg hunt. We would all try to collect the most of the colorful plastic eggs scattered and hidden throughout the yard. The real excitement was for the one who found the ‘golden egg’, a large, golden colored egg with money inside … usually $20.

Here in Italy, it seems large chocolate eggs take the place of Easter baskets. Supermarkets display an assorted array of the brightly wrapped, extra large chocolate eggs in preparation of Pasqua (Easter holiday in Italian). You can find the chocolate eggs wrapped in an assortment of popular children’s characters for the younger crowd (Barbie, Spiderman, Hello Kitty, etc.), plain for the slightly more sophisticated, or with a simple statement of ‘Auguri’ (congratulations and well wishes expressed during holidays or important days). I still miss the variety of assorted candies and treats, but with an oversized egg made of chocolate in front of you, how can one complain?! 🙂

Another typical Italian treat specific to Pasqua (Easter) is the Colomba. It is a cross between a cake and a bread, and is made with flour, eggs, sugar, yeast and butter. It is usually topped with almonds and sugar, and is shaped in the form of a dove. The name Colomba Pasqua translates to Easter Dove. You can find the Pasqua treat in a variety of different flavors … traditional topped with almonds and sugar with candied orange peel inside, chocolate, lemon and different cream filled flavors. I wish they were available all year round, but I think my waistline is glad they are not. 😉 They’re quite tasty!

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