A traditional Italian recipe for breaking the fast of Lent, Easter Cheese Crescia is appropriately rich, packed with eggs, oil, lard, and both Pecorino and Parmesan cheeses. Think of it as a savory panettone that’s eaten with hard-boiled eggs and cold cuts. Want to learn more, or make your own? Check out Valentina Solfrini‘s blog post on Food52, and see her grandmother’s recipe.
The previous day, she would put freshly laid eggs into a basket and bring them to the priest, so that he could impart his blessing upon them. Then she would make Crescia, which she and my grandfather would eat with hard-boiled eggs and cold cuts as a pre-Mass breakfast. They would then drive off on their old, cream-colored Fiat 600. After 40 days of Lent, celebration was in order; the richness of the Crescia summed up their feeling of post-Lent satisfaction in a most outstanding fashion.
Photo by Valentina Solfrini
Rebecca Haley-Park
Rebecca Haley-Park is culture's former editor and resident stinky cheese cheerleader. A native New Englander, she holds a BFA in creative writing from University of Maine at Farmington.
