Food Stuffs with Religious Significance

I know a lot about the reasons for eating or NOT eating certain foods at Passover. We reiterate these lists during the Passover Seder every year. Click here for a few guidelines from Rabbi Shapiro. 

I was not certain about why Gentiles eat certain foods, especially lamb, during Easter. I had to look it up. This is from the Catholic Education Resource Center:  "Lamb has significance in the Easter celebration. A special Easter pastry is a cake shaped like a lamb. In the Middle Ages, lamb was the customary meat eaten on Easter and was the main meat for the Holy Fathers' Easter dinner. Remember that the Jews sacrificed a lamb for Passover during the time of Moses; because of the Passover sacrifice, the Jewish people were freed from slavery in Egypt and taken to the Promised land. Christ is the new Paschal lamb who was sacrificed for our sins and whose blood made the perfect and everlasting covenant; Christ has freed us from the slavery of sin and opened the gates to the true Promised Land of Heaven. Together, the mystery of the Last Supper, the sacrifice of Good Friday and the resurrection of Easter form the new Passover...the new Pasch."

Aha!  This is the reason I have seen those lamb cake-molds in the craft and house-ware stores!

Lamb Cake Mold.  There is a back-side mold too!

I went on to read about all of the different types of lamb cakes that people bake to celebrate Easter.  It appears that many different types of frostings are used to resemble the lamb's wool.  I found coconut, Rice Krispies and heavily swirled white icing.  Personally, I like the coconut "wool."

Coconut covered lamb cake

Rice Krispie covered lamb cake

Butter and Sugar Icing Swirled Lamb Cake

One of my office co-workers brought in his half-eaten lamb cake for the rest of us to enjoy.  I'm sure it tasted better than it looks!

Wallie's Leftover Lamb Cake

All I could muster for Mr. Larry this weekend in the way of Easter baking was a batch of mini-brownies!

Ellen's Easter Brownies