Easter is filled with many European traditions and symbolic foods from ancient times, but Chef Seeto wonders how we could give the Easter feast of treats and banquets more of a Fijian twist.
I DON’T know about you, but Easter feels a bit different this year. The usual joys of chocolate eggs, bunnies and hot cross buns is overshadowed by the enormity of rebuilding the devastated communities, many of whom have yet to return to some form of normality.
I feel a bit guilty enjoying myself too much this long weekend when some families are still living in temporary shelters awaiting aid and building materials. Does the Easter bunny even visit these remote areas?
The developing tropical depression isn’t helping either, bringing more rain, gloom and dark skies. With many people still living under makeshift tents or a yet-to-be repaired leaking roof, the spirit of Easter has been slightly dampened for those most affected by Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston more than four weeks later. But let us not forget that one of the key meanings of Easter Sunday is of re-birth and resurrection.
In many ways Easter 2016 is supposed to feel different. No matter what your religious beliefs, the symbolisation of new beginnings and a new start brings a whole different meaning to Easter in Fiji this year.
Rabbits, chocolates and candy
Easter is the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, but the seasonal chocolate eggs and the fluffy bunny that delivers them, are nowhere to be found in scripture.
The exact origins of the Easter bunny are clouded in mystery. One theory is that the symbol of the rabbit stems from pre-Christian pagan tradition, specifically the festival of Eostre; a goddess of fertility whose animal symbol was a bunny. Rabbits, known for their energetic breeding, have traditionally symbolised fertility and making babies! But how did the Easter Bunny begin delivering eggs in modern Western mythology? According to the website, History.com, the theory with the most evidence is that the story of the floppy-eared bearer of candy came with German immigrants to America in the 1700s. The German immigrants, who settled in Pennsylvania, brought their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” with them. Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its coloured eggs.
Eventually, the custom spread across the US and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests. Some children even left out carrots for the bunny, just in case he got hungry from all his hopping!
While the Easter bunny story is over 300 years old, the tradition of giving and receiving chocolate at Easter is relatively new, dating back only as far as the late 19th century. Before that, hen’s eggs, often painted or dyed red, were given, a tradition that stems back to pagan times when eggs were considered symbols of renewal and spring.
The first mass-produced chocolate egg appeared in England in 1873 when Cadbury debuted its first Easter egg; by the early 1900s, milk chocolate eggs became widely available. Today, eggs and bunnies come in an extraordinary range of colours and shapes.
Many Australians especially appreciate the Easter bilby, the native answer to the tin-foil wrapped feral import. There are no rabbits or bilbys in Fiji but maybe our manufacturers could emulate some of our own feral animals like the mongoose, bat or what about a chocolate rat or green chocolate iguana?
Paying homage to ancient meals
No matter what your religious beliefs, Easter Sunday in many parts of the world would not be complete without the family coming together over a meal of roast lamb. Cooked traditionally in a baking tray with roasted potato and pumpkin, or given a Mediterranean bent courtesy of ingredients such as garlic, olives and lemon, lamb remains the quintessential Easter Sunday feasting meat.
The origins of eating lamb at Easter go back to the first Jewish Passover, when the faithful would roast a sacrificial lamb and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs in the hope that the angel of God would pass over their homes and ensure those inside suffered no harm. As some Hebrews converted to Christianity, they kept this tradition and so many Christians – often referring to Jesus as the “Lamb of God” – placed a special emphasis on the meat.
Many Western countries, especially those in Europe, still place a special emphasis on Easter lamb. In France, the racks of lamb are roasted and then the main meat meal is followed by special Easter cakes. In Greece, whole lambs are cooked on the spit, with the innards of the animal used to make a hearty soup.
In Australia, the commonplace practice during the early to mid-decades of the 20th century was to eat lamb every Sunday for a hot lunch feast after church. It was a nod to the nation’s plentiful sheep supplies and an extension of the Easter habit into the every day.
In Fiji, the expense of prime imported lamb cuts could easily be replaced by the less expensive lamb shanks, or why not make it more Fijian by replacing the baby lamb with a tender baby goat for our Easter feasts!
Cross buns all the time
Hot cross buns may have been on sale all week but traditionalists will wait until the morning of Good Friday before they tuck into a toasted bun for breakfast. Filled with dried fruit, seasoned with fresh spices and boasting a well-glazed crust, the perfect hot cross bun is most commonly toasted and spread with lashings of real butter.
Australians eat more than 25 million buns each Easter and clever bakers continue to evolve the original recipe by adding chocolate, sourdough, gluten-free and even fruit-free buns to their baking repertoire. But these modern versions are a long way from the original hot cross buns, which are thought to have come from ancient Greece – although the Saxons also ate buns marked with a cross in honour of the goddess of light, Eostre, whose name we know as Easter.
For Christians, the cross on top of the buns is a symbol of the crucifixion and, according to superstition, hot cross buns baked on Good Friday never went mouldy and were sometimes kept from one year to the next. So what would a Fijian cross bun recipe be like? How about a cross between the traditional fruit bun and coconut bun; the hot cross lolo bun!
Happy Easter and if you get the time head north to Ba, Rakiraki or any of the cyclone affected areas to spread some Easter cheer and be a good bunny!
* Lance Seeto is the multi award winning chef at Mana Island Resort and Spa, culinary ambassador for Fiji Airways, and host of Fiji TV’s “Taste of Paradise”.
Easter recipes
Chef Lance Seeto
Hot cross lolo bun
Makes 12 buns
500 grams normal flour, sifted
pinch salt
50 grams caster sugar
300ml warm coconut milk
10 grams instant dry yeast
200 grams dried mixed fruit
100 grams scraped coconut, squeezed and toasted
50 grams unsalted butter, plus extra for the topping
50 grams brown sugar, plus extra for the topping
600ml coconut milk
Place the sifted flour and salt in a large bowl.
In a saucepan heat the sugar and 300 ml coconut milk together to warm. Stir the yeast into the warm milk.
Pour the milk into the flour and mix to form a dough.
Add the dried fruit and scraped coconut
Knead until smooth, then return to the bowl and leave somewhere warm to prove for an hour, or until doubled in size.
Roll out the dough into a long sausage and divide evenly. Roll each portion into ball.
Using a baking tray, approximately 25x30cm press the butter along the base. Sprinkle over the brown sugar, then pour over 400ml of the coconut milk (reserve the rest).
Place the buns on the coconut milk leaving 1cm gaps between each. Leave to prove somewhere warm until well risen and the gaps have been filled by proved dough – about 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius.
Place a small knob of the extra butter on top of each bun and sprinkle with extra brown sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden-brown.
Remove from oven and gently separate the buns using a spoon, then pour over the reserved coconut milk.
Coconut and tamarind braised lamb shanks
Serves 4
4 lamb shanks, trimmed and silver skin removed
2 tablespoons virgin coconut or olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander (dhaniya)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (haldi)
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh tamarind paste
2 cups fresh coconut milk
1/2 cup water or coconut bu water
Fresh coriander
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Sprinkle the lamb shanks on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan to medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and when it shimmers add the lamb shanks in one layer. Brown well on all sides and remove to a plate.
2. In the meantime in a medium pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to medium heat and add the onion. Cook the onion until golden brown.
3. Toast the cumin and coriander lightly over a low flame until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and pulverize until a fine powder. Combine with turmeric, curry powder, and garlic paste.
4. Add the garlic and spice mixture to the onions along with the fresh tamarind paste. Stir for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is very fragrant and garlic is browning but not burned.
5. Stir in the honey, coconut milk and stock and bring to a gently simmer. Taste the sauce and add at least 1 teaspoon of salt.
6. Add the shanks into the pot and cover. Simmer gently for approximately 2 hours, turning the lamb shanks occasionally until nice and tender.
7. Remove the shanks from the pot and skim the fat from the top of the sauce.
8. Return shanks to the pot. Finely chop the coriander and stir throughout the sauce. Serve hot.
Lamb chop and kumala pot roast
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (Pick Me Up)
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cup water
2kg lamb chops, trimmed
1/2 cup plain or gluten free flour, season with salt & pepper
3 large brown onions, cut into 5mm-thick slices
500 grams sweet potato or other root crop, sliced thinly
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup chopped parsley (or other green herbs)
½ cup olives (optional)
1. In a medium bowl, combine Pick Me up sauce, tomato paste, garlic, sugar and the water. Set aside.
2. In a large plastic bag add the seasoned flour. Add half of the lamb into the bag and shake to coat. Remove and repeat for remaining lamb chops.
3. In a large pot, fry the onion, tomato and garlic on medium heat. Turn heat to high and add the lamb. Stir thoroughly until pieces begin to brown.
4. Add the sauce and cover to cook for approximately 30 minutes or until lamb is tender.
5. Add zucchini and olives towards the end and baste ingredients in dish with sauce mixture for a further 10 minutes.
6. Serve sprinkled with fresh herbs and a salad.