What is Greek Tsoureki and How it’s Made?

Here they are again! Fruit trees are out, storks are in their nests and Easter is just a few days away. So, it’s about time for you to think about dying eggs and getting that Easter cake everyone is waiting for! Speaking about traditions, we can’t miss to talk about Greek Easter. To be honest, Greeks respect this holiday so much that they even put more emotions in its preparation than they do for Christmas, for example. However, today’s blog post is going to focus on Greek food during the Easter holidays, and more particularly on the so called Tsoureki. Keep reading! So, what is Tsoureki? What would Easter be without an Easter cake?! Tsoureki is a traditional cake/bread that people make (or buy) for this holiday. This sweet delicacy is intended to put an end to the Great Fast. A lot of nations have such kind of thing for their festive days, but, trust us, you can’t mistaken the Greek Easter cake. Why is that? Well, it’s not a big secret that Greeks adore the anise taste, right?! Hence, they are never untrue to their traditions when it comes to this specific aroma and that’s why their Easter cake has an intense anise flavor. What’s more, you can also find dyed (mostly red) eggs between the doughy stitches. Tasty! How is Tsoureki made? In case you’re eager to know how people prepare this Greek Easter cake, here’s something about the process. People usually use fresh yeast, which they dissolve into warm milk and mix with flour until they form a thick paste. Then they give the mixture some time to rise. Here comes the second part! There’s more flour, this time with melted butter, salt and anise (of course!), eggs, sugar, lemon or orange zest. This mixture plus the first one turns into soft, fluffy dough, which stays aside for a couple of hours. Then it’s time for the magic trick – the making of the ‘braid’. The eggs find their place somewhere in between and it’s time for baking! Of course, there are other versions as well, but basically that’s how it all begins. Find your Easter cake on our e-store and surprise the family and friends with this Greek specialty! Click here to buy! Did you like the article? Follow us on Facebook to enjoy other interesting posts!