Vajíčková pomazánka

The story

Vajíčková pomazánka, egg spread, is not a holiday dish. It is a plain Czech spread of chopped hard-boiled eggs bound with butter, mustard or fresh cheese, eaten on bread with chives or radishes. It belongs in an Easter collection because of the eggs. On Easter Sunday, bread, eggs, meat and mazanec were taken to church to be blessed, and the family ate the blessed food together. On Velikonoční pondělí, Easter Monday, boys and men go from house to house as koledníci, carolers, carrying a pomlázka, a whip plaited from young willow switches. After their verse the household rewards them, and every woman who has been whipped ties a ribbon to the whip. Many carolers come home with eggs from the girls they visited, dyed with store colors or with onion skins, red beet or spinach juice. Czech news sites note that households are left with a pile of boiled eggs after the holiday and suggest spreads and salads. The method here follows recent Czech versions: the yolks are mashed with butter, mustard and cream cheese and the whites are chopped fine. In 2027 Easter Monday is March 29. Spread it on rye bread with radishes and watercress for a quick lunch.