Though Easter is usually celebrated in the United States with an endless stream of chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, there are many other traditions associated with the holiday. The feast that celebrates Christ's return to life after His crucifixion and death has many ancient antecedents.
Greek and Roman festivals that celebrated the passage of winter into the rebirth of spring have common points with Easter as well as Passover, the Jewish feast celebrating the passage of the Hebrews out of Egypt.
The rebirth of spring and its fertile promise of the long and prosperous season ahead is well-illustrated by the Sicilian Easter wreath. Its round shape signifies the continuous passage of the seasons through the year. The eggs, of course, symbolize fertility and the replenishing of the earth with animals as well as plants after the dreary winter months. The promise of the harvest to come is seen in the Swiss rice tart; throughout Europe, Easter pastries are filled with grains.
In Naples, wheat berries are used for a similar tart, the grain in all of these pastries symbolizing the potential of birth and growth inherent in the seeds.
Though of more recent origin, chocolate is associated with Easter almost as much as it is with Valentine's Day. The association probably came about when chocolate became more available at the end of the 19th century and confectioners vied with each other to produce elaborate molded chocolates in the shape of eggs and rabbits -- more symbols of fertility.
Chocolate souffle roll is based on a famous recipe introduced to the United States by Dione Lucas. Famous as one of the original television cooks in the early '50s, Ms. Lucas introduced many homey French recipes, such as this roll, to her audience. The recipe is equally associated with James Beard, who popularized it.
As the speed of urban life takes us even further from the land and its rebirth at Easter, these recipes help to recall an earlier tradition when the arrival of spring was heralded with greater solemnity and relief.
Both the rice tart and the chocolate roll may be completely prepared the day before serving. Refrigerate the tart wrapped in plastic wrap. Bring it to room temperature before serving. Assemble and fill the chocolate roll and cover it with plastic wrap for up to 24 hours before serving. Serve the roll cold. For the wreath, assemble it completely and refrigerate it for up to one day before baking. Bake the wreath on the day you plan to serve it.
