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Easter Goat on a Spit Wrap

You’ve heard me go on about our Easter lamb, or in this year’s case, goat-on-a-spit stories. So I wanted to give you a post spit wrap of our day as well as a few details on my favourite thing to make during Easter: Tsoureki Paschalino or Greek Easter Bread.

My Greek family takes our Easter feast very seriously and for another year it turns out that my uncle Kosta is still the king of the spit and no matter how we try to “ advise” him on these charring matters, he’s always right. Let me add though, that he is still quite old-school in his system of spit roasting, which is why not a single person can match his process and succulent end result. It’s not that he isn’t a relatively modern guy,( internet savvy, brand new coupe bmw driver …) but when it comes that spit, we can’t figure him out. The spit , and you’d have a tough time calling it that, is a half a barrel, rotting out massive holes in several spots. He’s been using this freakin thing for thirty some odd years. It must just be as comfortable as an old pair of socks.

Now my other uncle, Mike , who is also quite modern ( digital music junkie ) came up with his little solution to a problem we’ve been having yearly: how to slice off tender pieces of goat/lamb and not have it fall right into the ashes. This seems like a no brainer but it's hard to put your hand over a hot glowing coal pit and slice meat off. He introduced, the plate shovel. No really, he took a shovel, put a plate on it and placed it under the spot that someone else is carving from. That way the person going in to cut can just take a quick slice and the meat drops right into the shovel plate. Gyro anyone? It was hilarious.


Easter is not about meat alone, and I’ve been working my golden, braided loaf since I was thirteen years old. Challah like, but shaped in the form of a wreath, this bread took years to perfect, but it was worth it. And it’s my special contribution to the family’s Easter table. What’s the big deal? For starters, it’s the unique flavour and smell that perfumes the kitchen when I bake this bread that I absolutely love.

You need two key exotic ingredients to make a proper Greek Easter bread.

First up is the Mahlepi or Mahlebi- the small cherry tree stones that are ground to a powder to give this bread a nutty, almost apricot-like flavour and scent. I’ve read that Mahlebi was once used in perfumes in the Middle East and Turkey- and I can smell why. This spice is in fact perfumey, floral and in my opinion, a beautiful baking ingredient. Secondly, there’s Mastic in this bread. Mastic comes from a tree that’s related to the pistachio tree and grows only on the Greek Isle of Chios (pron. Heeos). The crystalline resin forms drop-like shapes known as “tears” – I know, how poetic, and has an almost piney, cedar-like flavour. These two ingredients- used sparingly, give Greek bread that “je ne sais quoi” that makes it unique, fragrant and delicious.

Apart from being delicious, this bread symbolizes the rebirth or Resurrection. In the middle, you’ll find red-dyed Easter eggs (the blood of Christ) - and the circular shape of the bread reminds us of the never-ending cycle of life. All religious symbolism aside, some families choose to lacquer and “save” their breads to hang as decorative ornaments. Not a chance in our house. where my recipe has been worked and reworked until I got it just right! At our place, this bread is gone before it has a chance to see a freezer. And that’s just the way we like it!