Kulich, be, куліч, kulich, hy, կուլիչ, kulich (from Ancient Greek , , "roll of coarse bread"); ka, პასკა, Paska (bread), paska, uk, пáска, Paska (bread), páska is the Russian name for Easter bread. For the Eastern Slavs, festive bread was round and tall, and dough decorations were made on top of it. The cylindrical shape of the cake is associated with the church practice of baking artos. The Paska (bread), Paska bread tradition spread in cultures which were connected to the Byzantine Empire and it's a traditional cultural part of countries with an Eastern Orthodox, Orthodox Christian population. It is eaten in countries like Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Georgia (country), Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia and Serbia. Kulich is a variant of Paska (bread), paska Easter breads and represents not only Easter but also the Spring (season), spring. Easter is a very important celebration in Eastern European countries, even more important than Christmas.
Preparation
Traditionally after the Easter service, the kulich, which has been put into a basket and decorated with colorful flowers, is blessed by the priest. Blessed kulich is eaten before breakfast each day. Any leftover kulich that is not blessed is eaten with paskha for dessert.
Kulich is baked in tall, cylindrical tins (like coffee or fruit juice tins). When cooled, kulich is decorated with white icing (which slightly drizzles down the sides) and colorful flowers. Historically, it was often served with cheese paska bearing the symbol ХВ (from the traditional Easter greeting of (, "Christ is risen").
Kulich is only eaten between Easter and Pentecost.
[Dee, Aliza]
"Kulich – Russia's Classic Easter Cake"
''The Moscow Times'', Moscow, 10 April 2015. Retrieved on 29 February, 2016.
The recipe for kulich is similar to that of Italian panettone, but is more dense and thus weighs considerably more.
Gallery
File:Russian paska bread Kulich without frosting and crumbles Русская пасха Кулич пасхальный хлеб без глазури.jpg, Russian paska bread Kulich without frosting and crumbles
File:Смукрович Освящение-куличей 1901.jpg, A painting of people with Easter fare
File:Orthodox sacrified of Easterfood.JPG, Orthodox Church of Rome priest (second from right) blesses paschal (Easter) foods including kulichs, eggs, and wine
File:Russian paska bread Kulich Русская пасха Кулич пасхальный хлеб.jpg, Kulich shares the same name as a place in Kulich, Iran, Iran
File:Pääsiäiskakut.jpg, Kulich
See also
*Cozonac
*List of sweet breads
*Panettone
*Paska (bread)
*Pinca
*Red Easter eggs
*Stollen
Notes
References
External links
Kulich recipe (in Russian, with photos){{Commons category, Kulich, position=left
Belarusian desserts
Russian desserts
Soviet cuisine
Easter bread
Slavic Easter traditions
Yeast cakes
