 Christopsomo Christmas bread | |
| Alternative names | Katʿnahuncʿ or Bsatir |
|---|---|
| Type | Sweet bread |
| Region or state | Balkans, Anatolia, Middle east |
| Variations | Savoury versions |
Tsoureki (Greek:τσουρέκι) also known asbsatir,čʿorek,katʿnahuncʿ (Armenian:պսադիր, չորեկ, կաթնահունց),çyrek (Albanian),kozunak (Bulgarian:козунак),cozonac (Romanian),paskalya çöreği (Turkish), oršurēk (Hijazi Arabic:شُريك), is a sweet holiday bread made with flour, milk, butter, eggs, and sugar. It is commonly seasoned withlemon andorange zest,mastic resin, ormahleb.
Lampropsomo, a variation of tsoureki commonly called "Greek Easter bread", is made by Greek communities duringEaster, not only in Greece, but also in other countries with Greek communities. It is also called Armenian Easter bread and is eaten during Easter inArmenia and theArmenian diaspora.[1]
Theancient Armenian name was "bsatir - պսադիր" ("bsag պսակ" - "crown" and "tir դիր", is the root of "tnel դնել" verb: "to put"). This Armenian name is in allusion toChrist’scrown of thorns.[2][3] The Greek wordtsoureki is derived from the Turkish wordçörek, meaning "round bread" in Old Turkic.[4][5] Some dictionaries claim that this is derived from the Old Turkish rootçevir- 'turn' or 'to make it round'.[6][better source needed]
There are different variations of the Greektsoureki holiday breads including a round Christmas loaf with a cross decoration calledChristopsomo, a braidedEaster bread with whole dyed eggs pressed into the dough calledlampropsomo, and a loaf with a coin hidden inside for good luck calledvasilopita that is baked for St. Basil's Day (New Year's Day).[7]
This bread is sometimes called "Armenian Easter bread".[8] InArmenian, the common names includekatnahunts (կաթնահունց),bsatir (բսաթիր),choreg (չորեկ), orcheoreg (չէօրէկ). Before bakingchoreg, the surface is painted with egg yolk, and the heat of the oven browns it until it acquires a reddish-brown tone that represents theblood of Christ. Traditional Armeniankatnahunts omits the dyed Easter eggs, as they are instead used in the Surb Zatik egg fight, another Armenian easter tradition.Armenian katanhunts is made from a yeast-based dough of flour, sugar, milk, butter, eggs,orange/lemon zest and it is often flavored with spices likemahleb,cardamom,cinnamon,nutmeg andvanilla. After rising, the dough is shaped into braids, twists, or loaves and can be filled with sweet additions such as dried fruits (mostlyplums,raisins,berries, orapricots), chocolate, or nuts. Brushed with egg yolk, sprinkled withsesame and baked until golden, the result is a soft, slightly sweet bread with spices and optionally, a filling.[9][10][11]
Tsoureki is made for Easter in Greece and among theGreek diaspora.[1] It is made from a sweetyeast dough of flour, sugar, eggs, butter and milk, with dyed red Easter eggs pressed into the dough.[12] The dough is brushed withegg wash before baking, and sometimes flavored withmahlep,mastic resin ororange zest. Other flavorings might includealmond extract,cinnamon,raisins orfennel seed.[13][14][15][16]
ItsTurkish name ispaskalya çöreği 'Easter çörek' and It is a bread popular amongstTurkish christians. It does not include whole eggs pressed into the dough as decoration.[17][18] Some recipes substitute a neutral-flavored oil, such assunflower oil, and margarine in place of milk and butter.[19] The dough may be seasoned with orange zest,vanilla, mahlep and slivered almonds.[20][21]
Sometimes tsoureki is used as a gift for special occasion; for instance, it can be given as anEaster gift from children to theirgodparents.[citation needed]
Christopsomo (Χριστόψωμο), which translates as "Christ's bread", is a traditional Greek holiday bread that is sometimes decorated with wholewalnuts, sesame seeds and slivered almonds.[22] Also called Christmasfruit bread, thetsoureki dough may include a combination ofraisins, driedapricots, driedfigs, orange zest,cinnamon,allspice,cloves,cardamom,Mastic (plant resin) andmahleb.[22][23][24] (Some recipes suggest marinating the raisins and dried figs overnight in wines likeretsina ormavrodaphne).[25] Some of the dough is set aside for the loaf's cross-shaped decoration.[26]
The bread may be glazed with a syrup made fromhoney, orange juice, and slivered almonds.[25]
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