Paska (bread)

Paska

Traditional Ukrainian Paska with a pysanka and willow switches
Type	Sweet bread
Place of origin	Ukraine, south Russia
Main ingredients	Milk, butter, eggs, sugar

Pască

Type	Pastry
Place of origin	Romania
Main ingredients	eggs, sour cream, fresh cheese, raisins, sugar

Paska (Ukrainian, Russian Пáска "Easter", ultimately from Aramaic: פסחא‎‎ "Passover") is an Easter bread eaten in the Assyrian–Chaldean–Syriac diaspora, Eastern European countries including Ukraine, south Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Georgia and parts of Bulgaria. It is also eaten in countries with immigrant populations from Eastern Europe such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Paska is made with milk, butter, eggs, flour, and sugar, except in Romania, where the recipe most commonly includes sweet cream, cottage cheese, and/or sour cream along with eggs, sugar, raisins, and rum. An egg and water mixture is used as a glaze.

The Christian faithful in many Eastern Christian countries eat this bread during Easter. Christian symbolism is associated with features of paska type breads. The inside of paska can be a swirl of yellow and white that is said to represent the resurrection of Jesus while the white represents the Holy Spirit. Other versions include chocolate, rice, or even savoury mixtures based on cheese. A version is made with maraschino cherries added to symbolize royal jewels in honor of the resurrection of Jesus.