#53 A different kind of easter
Osterfeuer, Fleischweihe, Palmbuschen, Osterstrauch, Fastenzeit, Osterjause, Schokoladenhasen, geselchtes Fleisch und Auferstehungsmesse?
Around Easter, there are numerous religious festivals and sometimes bizarre customs and lots and lots of food. But there are other, more sustainable, vegetarian, healthier and more modern ways to celebrate. We’ll tell you how you can celebrate Easter a little differently this year and still not break any traditions or miss out on any partys.
Easter in Graz:
1
warm snack
In Styria, you are spoilt with culinary delights at any time of year. In spring, the Easter baskets are filled with horseradish, eggs, Easter bread, smoked meat, sausages and salt. After the consecration of the meat on Holy Saturday, the blessed Easter snack is eaten together with the family, as is the custom. But how about a warm Easter snack this year? The ingredients are the same. But the meat is baked in a bread coating and served with horseradish and mashed potatoes. Simply delicious and a welcome change from the cold Easter snack that will be with you for the next few days anyway. The meat in bread dough is available at farmers' markets such as the one in front of the agricultural school in Grottenhof.<br />
2
salad instead of meat
A vegetarian alternative and still typically Styrian? How about a Röhrlsalat? It can be found everywhere in the meadows at the moment, grows like a weed and is healthy. Warm potatoes, eggs, pumpkin seed oil and decorative dandelion flowers go particularly well in the salad. In no time at all, you have conjured up an inexpensive, healthy, Styrian and yet festive alternative to Easter meat.<br />
3
Torta Pasqualina
The Torta Pasqualina is an Italian spinach tart that is sold by Fleischerei Mosshammer along with many other ingredients for the Easter snack. You can buy the good stuff directly in the butchery and get advice at the counter (where you will always be warmly welcomed, competently advised and given life wisdom on top), order everything online and have it delivered to your home and there is even a 24-hour butcher's shop at three locations, a well-stocked Mosshammer vending machine where you can get a complete Easter snack for two people at any time of day or night. www.mosshammer.at
4
Lent
Originally, Lent was a time to abstain from meat. Today, however, you can give up all sorts of things to prove something to yourself, to do something good for yourself or even to do something good for the world. The idea is called ``fasting for the climate``. During the 40 days, or better still longer, you should try to do without your car as much as possible, avoid rubbish, reduce meat and sugar, shop regionally and seasonally where possible to avoid long transport routes and support local producers. You can find these and many other good ideas for a more sustainable Easter at www.nachhaltig-in-graz.at
5
Easter presents
``Schenken mit Sinn`` is a well-known Caritas campaign that is not only available at Christmas, but also at Easter. Instead of chocolate eggs, you could give a whole flock of chickens, a goat, an ox or a full shopping trolley. www.shop.caritas.at
6
sweets
Chocolate Easter bunnies, chocolate eggs or sweet Easter bread, we all know them. There are slightly different Easter sweets from Loana Cake Away. Bunny macarons, bunny love bites or Easter cake pops. www.cakeaway.at
“Easter cake from the Mosshammer butcher’s shop”
“Easter family dinner”
