Chocolate Italian Easter Eggs
As Easter approaches images of the Easter Bunny, pastel colored chicks and duckies, and the marvelous Easter egg in all its glory pop up. As a symbol of fertility and rebirth, the egg has long been associated with the Easter holiday and the Christian celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The egg is also linked to Easter because people gave up animal products including dairy during Lent, the forty days before Easter. In order not to let all the eggs go to waste, they would be hard boiled in order to keep.
I am used to the American tradition of dyeing hard boiled eggs in many different colors and hiding them for an Easter egg hunt. But in Italy it is not the egg that is hidden. Instead surprises are hidden within delicately prepared chocolate Easter eggs. The eggs range in size from very tiny ones that fit in the hand to large ones you could wrap your arms around. Almost all the eggs contain a surprise inside unless the egg is just too small. The surprises can range from little toys for children that are generically placed to special ordered eggs with personalized gifts inside. Extravagant gifts like car keys and engagement rings have been placed in chocolate eggs! The eggs are then decorated with icing or sugar on the outside, or they are wrapped in beautiful colored foil paper. What a delicacy! Pictures of these Italian treats alone are enough to justify a holiday in Venice for the Easter weekend. The joy of biting into my hollow chocolate Easter bunny this year will be a bit dampened as I know there will not be any lovely surprises inside.
Link to a picture of the chocolate Easter eggs
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