Kulich

Kulich (Russian Кулич ) is a mostly round Easter bread from Russia.

It is a type of cake that is baked in a sweet, enriched with larger amounts of eggs and butter dough. Typically, the dough raisins and spices such as vanilla, cardamom and / or nutmeg are attached, also the kulich is coated on the upper side with powdered sugar or glaze.

The kulich heard next dyed Easter eggs and the junket Pasha to traditional dishes, prepared in Russia for Orthodox Easter. They are usually eaten during the Easter Vigil to break the fast after Lent ended ( in the Orthodox Church also known as "big fast" ) and the fast is broken. To let the kulich bless together with the Easter eggs and the Pasha belongs to Customs. For this, the food is brought on Holy Saturday in a church where they are initially set to a large communal table. It is common to put in the middle of the Kulitschs a candle and burn it. Then the priest blesses the Easter food through prayer and sprinkling of holy water. The food blessing found in most churches on Holy Saturday instead, in some but only in the evening during the celebration of the Easter Vigil.

In the country the preparation of kulich Easter has traditionally been considered a very important ritual in making it housewife demanded a lot of responsibility. A successful kulich not good ( for example, if the dough was not fully baked or the crust was too brittle ) was perceived as a bad omen. A good contrast kulich was a sign of a happy and successful year.