Easter bread

The Easter bread is a food from the gastronomy of Chile, made with a sweet dough, similar to a sponge cake, of dark color, whose dough contains ginger and honey; and to which candied fruit, currants and, sometimes, dried fruits, such as walnuts and almonds, are commonly added. It is widely consumed during the Christmas and New Year season, frequently accompanied by colemono.

History

It is said to have originated in Germany or Italy, where it is made with yeast and marzipan. Then almonds, dried fruits and nuts are added, to remember the abundant fruits of the place where Jesus was born.

Upon arrival in Chile, the so-called "Creole Easter bread" was generated, which changed the dried fruits for candied fruits, and the cake changed to a darker color. It is usually consumed accompanied by colemono, a traditional drink. Likewise, and as a result of German immigration, in the south of Chile there is a variety of Easter bread whose dough contains malt and aromatic essences, such as nutmeg and cloves, among others.

This bread is one of the many varieties of this type of Christmas food in world gastronomy, among which the English Christmas pudding, the pandoro and the < Italian i>panettone, and the German Stollen.

The Santiago Bread Industrialists' Guild Association (Indupan A. G.) established in 2021 the annual contest "The best Easter bread in Chile", which it chooses together with the Chilean Federation of Bread Industrialists (Fechipan).