Tsoureki
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Tsoureki (Greek τσουρέκι), çörek (Turkish), or choreg (Armenian) are a sweet bread in Greek, Cypriot, Turkish, and Armenian cuisine.
Such rich brioche-like breads are also traditional in many other countries, such as Hungary, the Czech Republic; badnji kruh in Croatian cuisine; colomba di pasquain in the Portuguese cuisine; king cake in French cuisine and American cuisine, kulich in Russian cuisine; anise in Italian cuisine, and challah in Jewish cuisine.
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[edit] Greek traditions
Rich brioche-like breads (often braided) are known by various different Greek names that represent three major holidays for Greeks: Easter, Christmas and New Year's.
[edit] Tsoureki / Lambropsomo: Easter Bread
Τσουρέκι / λαμπρόψωμο: symbolizing the resurrection of Christ. The Greek word Lambropsomo is a combination of two words: lambro (Greek: λαμπρό) which means "bright light"; and psomo (Greek: -ψωμο from ψωμί) which means bread: lambropsomo translates to shining-bread or the epiphany-bread, representing the light given to Christians by Christ's resurrection and the passing over from what we are to what Rison Lord wants us to be: "partakers of divine nature". This braided bread can be shaped either into a circle or into two large braids and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It is adorned with beautiful red Easter eggs and sometimes red rosebuds for decorations. The Easter eggs are dyed deep red to represent the blood of Christ, the eggs also represent new life and springtime. It is traditionally eaten during the Resurrection Meal. After 40 days of fasting - as is dictated by the Greek Orthodox Church (but rarely followed as strictly by the general population any longer) - the Easter feast has to begin slowly, with a light meal after the midnight liturgy on Saturday night. The fast is generally broken with magiritsa, an offal-based soup flavored with avgolemono sauce; tsoureki, the fluffy, egg-laden Easter bread, salad and a bowl of red dyed eggs. Greeks have a custom when it comes to the eggs: they crack them one-to-one. Whosever egg remains in tact, supposedly has good luck in the ensuing year.
This bread recipe was traditionally prepared with an essence drawn from the seeds of Mediterranean wild cherries, called makhlepi, (Greek: μαχλέπι), which makes the kitchen smell delicious. The kernels of the makhlepi cherry spice are loved for specialties like tsoureki, but some people at times may elect to prepare this beautiful bread without the seed essence. Besides mahaleb kernels, the bread can be flavoured with mastic, the resin from Pistacia lentiscus, var. chia which is used in Greek cuisine. In more recent years, vanilla-scented tsoureki has also become quite popular. Sometime tsoureki is used as gifts for special occasion, for instance, it can be given as an Easter gift from children to their godparents.
[edit] Christopsomo: Christmas Bread
Χριστόψωμο: is a Greek bread decorated with an early form of the Christian cross with ends that split and curl into circles. Sometimes initials, birth dates and ages are added to celebrate all occasions. It is a rich, round loaf scented with wine soaked figs, anise, orange and it sometimes contains mastiihi, a dried pine resin. The bread is sometimes served with honey on Christmas eve. Families leave pieces of bread on the table believing that Christ will come and eat them during the night.
During the 40 days of fasting, special loaves of Christopsomo, which translates to Christ's Bread, are prepared for the meals. The loaves are round and decorated with a cross, which people make symbols shaped in dough. It is considered a sacred tradition in Greek Orthodox homes, and the care with which it is made is said to ensure the well-being of the home in the year to come. Only the purest and most expensive ingredients are used. The bread is often decorated with pieces of dough formed into representations of the family's life. Traditionally on Christmas Eve every household would bake a Christopsomo and then decorated with engravings on the crust that represent aspects of the family's life and profession.
In earlier times, Greek cooks baked large quantities of bread to last for 10-15 days, so baking just one or two loaves of Christopsomo the night before Christmas had special significance. The cook would start by crossing him/herself before starting the preparations, making this Christmas bread, which still is - considered by many to be a sacred task and great care is taken in its preparation. Raisins, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are just a few of the taste treats that some recipes use for this traditional loaf.
[edit] Vasilopita: New Year's Bread
The traditional New Year's Cake, Vasilopita (Βασιλόπιτα) is sometimes a tsoureki.
