Many of us will be celebrating the month of April this year. It is certainly a busy month in all our calendars. The month is filled with festivities from Easter and Good Friday, the Jewish Passover to the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. And just when we think we can’t fit anything else into the month, we have world earth day on the 22nd of April.
As with any festivities, food plays a central role in all our celebrations and gathering.
Celebrating Easter
Easter is an important Christian festival. It is when the resurrection of Christ is celebrated around the world. In many countries Easter is the largest festival of the year.
Easter is usually celebrated by spending time at church in thought and prayer. Then by getting together with family and friends for a special meal and eating the much-loved chocolate Easter eggs.
A lot of us may chomp on chocolate eggs at Easter, but originally eating eggs was not allowed by church leaders during the week leading up to Easter (known as Holy Week).
So any eggs laid that week were saved and decorated to make them Holy Week eggs, that were then given to children as gifts.
Victorians adapted the tradition with satin-covered cardboard eggs filled with Easter gifts.
This has now developed into the tradition that many people enjoy today.
With Medfood you can share and enjoy our range of chocolate confectionery with all your customers and with your family. Pick from a range of dark and milk chocolate and yoghurt covered nuts and fruits. Our favourites are the milk chocolate raisins, dark chocolate Brazil nuts and yogurt coated banana chips.
Celebrating Passover
Passover is one of the Jewish religion’s most sacred and widely observed holidays. It commemorates the story of the Israelite’s departure from ancient Egypt. Jews observe the weeklong festival with a number of important rituals, including a traditional meal known as Seder. This is when all leavened products are removed from the home and matzos are eaten instead.
One of the favourite dishes eaten at this time is called Tzimmes. Made of roasted root vegetables cooked with dried fruits such as cranberries, raisins and prunes. In fact dried fruits are used in many cultures in celebratory meals to add that extra luxury and sweetness to humble dishes.
At Medfood we take pride in our range of dried fruits. From naturally dried fruits such as raisins, mangoes and peaches to sweetened dried fruits such as cranberries, papaya and pineapple.
Celebrating the end of Ramadan
Eid al-Fitr also known as, the ‘festival of breaking the fast’ is a joyous occasion that marks the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting for Muslims, when they abstain from food and drink between dawn and sunset.
This time is centred around celebrating the end of a month of fasting and spending time with family, friends and people within the community. It is also all about feasting. And while there is no set menu for what should be on the table the dishes prepared are always rich and decadent.
Without doubt the table contains dried fruits, colourful Turkish Delight and fresh baklava dripping with honey syrup.
At Medfood we offer a range of Baklava, whether it’s to sell individually or in retail packs ready to be gifted. We also have an extensive range of Turkish delight with delicious new flavours.
World Earth Day
Every year on April 22nd the start of the modern environment movement is celebrated. Earth day was started to give a voice to our growing environmental consciousness. Putting environmental concerns on the front page. Today, 5000 environmental groups in 184 countries reach out to hundreds of millions of people to help us save our planet. What can you do to make a difference?
Mother earth is fragile and we all have to do what we can to help save and protect her. Celebrating the month of April is not all about festivities. It’s also about being conscious about our actions and the impact we have on our planet. Taking simple steps can all make a difference:
- Leave the car at home for small journeys and walk
- Recycle your plastic and try to use less plastic overall
- Eat less meat and switch to a plant-based diet a few days a week
- Plant more trees and preserve the natural habitats around you
- Shop local and in season
References:
BBC.co.uk
My Jewish cooking
CPhoto attributes:
Easter eggs – Image by gpointstudio on Freepik
