9 African Easy Easter Meal Ideas

Debbie Obierika
Debbie Obierika
I am a versatile writer with passion for curating interesting and thrilling content that wll keep my readers glued to their screen.
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African Easter meal ideas are diverse and several recipes can help you decide what meals you want to prepare this weekend. In this article, we will be talking about 9 African Easter meal ideas that you should definitely try out.

Key Takeaways

  1.  9 traditional African dish recommendations to try for Easter meals – Jollof Rice, Doro Wat, Bobotie, Mhajeb, Fried Rice, Jerk Chicken, Egusi Soup, Catfish Pepper Soup, and Cabrito (Goat Meat Stew).
  2.  The origins and cultural significance behind dishes like Jollof Rice from West Africa, Doro Wat from Ethiopia, Bobotie from South Africa, and Mhajeb from Algeria.
  3. The dishes cover a range of meat, seafood, vegetable and grain-based options representing the diversity of African cuisines.
  4. Many of the recommended dishes like Jollof Rice, Fried Rice, Egusi Soup are popular across different African regions with variations.

Origin of Easter

The English term is derived from the Saxon spring festival Eostre, developed from an Old English word that usually appears in the form Ēastrun, -on, or -an; but also as Ēastru, -o; and Ēastre or Ēostre.

Easter is also connected to the Jewish Passover by its name. By its origin, it is linked to both the crucifixion and resurrection that took place during the Passover week.

Easter customs vary across the Christian world, some include early services, midnight vigils, exclamations, and exchanges of greetings as well as the communal breaking of Easter eggs(which is a symbolic representation of the empty tomb). There is also the Easter lily, which is a symbol of the resurrection in Western Christianity and is used to traditionally decorate the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of the easter season.

Other additional customs include the Easter parades, communal dancing, the Easter bunny as well as egg hunting. 

There are also traditional Easter Foods that vary by culture and region across the world.

African Easter Meal Ideas

Different regions have several Easter meal ideas that are unique to the foods available in that region as well as their culture. It is sometimes tasking thinking up Easter meal ideas especially when you barely had the time to properly plan for the festivities.

As an African, the most difficult part about cooking up Easter meal ideas is finding dishes that are very cultural and also reflect the season and what it symbolizes.

We saw your struggle (hypothetically of course!) and we decided to curate easy and cultural African Easter meal ideas that you should definitely try out. 

Jollof Rice

Easter Meal Ideas Jollof Rice
Image from Adeolas Kitchen

Jollof rice is definitely a must-include in your Easter meal ideas. Depending on your African region, Jollof rice can be made in so many ways. 

This is a very convenient meal that allows you to infuse your local spices and make them yours. Jollof rice is a West African meal that has gained international acclaim for its extraordinary depth of flavor. Whereas most rice dishes are served as side dishes to the main course, Jollof is unquestionably the headliner.

The cuisine is a celebration of West Africa’s sharing culture, and it is smoked, spicy, and aromatic. Nobody ever leaves Auntie’s place without going home with a bowl. Jollof Rice is mostly common in West Africa and consumed in most regions like Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cameroon, Senegal, and many others. The only thing is that their ingredients are different.

The roots of jollof rice may be traced back to the Senegambian territory governed by the Wolof or Jolof Empire in the 14th century, which spanned portions of today’s Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania and was where rice was farmed. The cuisine is based on a classic dish called thieboudienne, which includes rice, fish, shellfish, and vegetables.

Jollof is traditionally cooked over an open fire to absorb the smokiness, before adding smoky paprika, thyme, rosemary, and nutmeg to boost the taste. You may also add butter or coconut oil, and serve it with grilled chicken, salad, fried plantain, or avocado because added fat is always a good idea. This is one of the most sought-after Easter meal ideas, you should definitely try this on Sunday.

Doro Wat

Easter Meal Ideas dorowat
Image from ministryofcurry

This Ethiopian special stew definitely had to make its way into our list of Easter meal ideas because it is so a rich, nourishing, and cultural meal associated with the festive seasons. 

This super spicy dish, Doro wat is a special recipe in the Ethiopian community. As such, it is quite a famous dish in Africa, if not one of the most famous.

If you’re familiar with African cuisines, you must have heard of it. It is prepared with chicken, spiced Many people would rather not take on this meal themselves because of the length of time it takes to prepare. But, every second is worth it because it comes out delicious. For an average Ethiopian, it is the time that gives the flavor and they do not mind.

In preparing this dish, you should loan yourself a lot of time and note the following elements and their relevance in this recipe. Berbere; is a basic ingredient used in the Doro wat recipe. It is a fiery, bright red, and flavorful Ethiopian spice blend. Its spices are toasted and ground for maximum flavor.

Injera; A sour fermented flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, traditionally made of teff flour. In Ethiopia, Eritrea, and some parts of Sudan, injera is the staple food of Eastern Africa just like rice and bread in other parts of the world. butter, berbere, [its major spicy blend] and served with injera, a fermented teff bread.

Bobotie

Easter Meal Ideas BOBOTIE
Image from thegingeredwhisk

Another one of the Easter meal ideas you should definitely try out is the Bobotie.

Bobotie is a well-known South African dish consisting of spiced meat baked with an egg-based topping. It appears to be a variant of patinam ex lacte which comprises layers of cooked meat, pine nuts, and seasoned with pepper, celery seeds, and asafoetida. It is very delicious when hot.

This dish is often regarded as South Africa’s national dish. It derives from the Cape Malay community, which gave birth to several dishes that are today regarded as staples of South African cuisine, such as sosaties and bredie.

Bobotie (pronounced ba-bo-tea) is cooked with well-seasoned ground beef with a creamy, luscious topping. It’s rich, flavorful, spicy, aromatic, and zingy all at the same time. A hearty dinner bursting with African flavors! 

This meal should be included in your Easter meal ideas list because it is definitely a banger.

Mhajeb

Easter Meal ideas Mhajeb
Mhajeb

Another one off our Easter meal ideas list is Mhajeb. This is a very rich meal that should grace your tables this season.

Mhadjeb or Mahjouba is a traditional Algerian dish consisting of a fine crepe-like semolina-based flatbread stuffed with onion, garlic, tomato, peppers, and spices.

It was first made by a woman who never went out and no one knew anything about her. She was called Mahjouba, and for Algerians, this word means both the unknown woman who does not leave the house and the honorable woman.

She used to prepare it and send it along with one of her children. To sell it in the market and claim that it is the hottest and hottest of the veiled people, and people circulated it and began to love it, giving it the name Mhadjeb.

This Algerian recipe is a flaky pancake made from semolina that is traditionally stuffed with onion, tomatoes, and even dried meat or we can substitute for the minced meat and then add harissa, the success of the dough is solved in its kneading which must be long enough and then the quantity of water incorporated if these two stages are respected the shaping is a breeze.

If you don’t have semolina flour on hand, use the finest semolina you can find or quickly grind the semolina in the mixer. Making the Mahjouba with only semolina can be tricky, and the dough may tear a little when stretching.

We are definitely trying out the Mhajeb recipe as it seems like one pancake meal we definitely want to have this Easter. 

Fried Rice

Easter Meal Ideas Fried Rice
Fried Rice

The next meal on our Easter meal ideas list is the infamously famous fried rice! One meal with different ways of cooking it and it definitely has a fill of delicious fresh veggies.

This cuisine may be found in numerous cultures all over the world, crossing the equator from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia, South America, Central America, East Africa, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Oceania.

The above super qualities make the aroma of this dish irresistible, and the taste, is excellent. Many chefs have confirmed that Basmati Rice is the best for fried rice.

There are diverse variants of fried rice;

  • Coconut Fried Rice 
  • Shrimp fried Rice 
  • Liver Fried rice 
  • Pork Fried Rice 
  • Caribbean Fried Rice 

It is an easy-to-prepare meal depending on what filling you decide to use. It is made by boiling your basmati rice, sieving it, and then frying your veggies and meat fillings in oil and mixing it with the rice.

This meal is definitely at the top for Easter meal ideas. Invite us over when you make this meal, we just might come!

Jerk Chicken

Easter Meal Ideas Jerk chicken
Jerk Chicken

Our Easter meal ideas list will definitely be incomplete without Jerk Chicken. This Southern African dish is a definite must-try in this season of Easter.

Jerk Chicken is one of the most delicious marinade recipes you’ll ever come across. Jerk chicken has a bursting fresh flavor, and while the components may appear odd when combined, they create a great,  and well-balanced flavor. It all goes so well with chicken.

Jerk refers to a cooking style in which the main ingredient, usually chicken but also beef, pork, goat, boar, seafood, or vegetables, is coated in spices and slow-cooked over a fire or grill traditionally made of green pimento wood positioned over burning coals; the resulting smoke is key to the dish’s flavor. 

The Taino invented the jerk method, which was then taught to African slaves, who altered it to make jerk chicken. The word jerk reportedly stems from the Spanish charqui, meaning dried strips of meat similar to modern-day jerky.

Jerk is a method of cooking using a rub made of scotch bonnet peppers, scallions, and garlic and then cooking slowly over a low fire similar to American BBQ, curry is a spice and is used to make a dish very similar to a stew. Jerk chicken is one of the healthier options if consumed in a balanced diet that consists of fibrous and complex carbohydrates such as Rice or Pasta. The chicken itself is lean meat and is one of the healthiest options, especially if you opt for chicken breast.

Egusi Soup

Easter Meal Ideas Egusi Soup
Image from potofsoups

It is important to note that your Easter meal ideas list is incomplete without Egusi Soup. The Nigerian Egusi soup, prepared with melon seed, is prepared by most tribes in Nigeria in many different ways. It is known as Miyan Gushi in Hausa, Ofe Egusi in Igbo, and Efo Elegusi in Yoruba.

Other ingredients include red palm oil, African crayfish, meats and fish, seasoning, hot pepper, and some form of leafy greens. Egusi is basically white pumpkin seeds though some people prefer to call them melon seeds. It can be prepared in two ways, which are the frying method and the boiling method.

This soup is very easy to prepare and takes very little time to get ready. it is usually eaten with Fufu, Pounded Yam, or Semolina.

Cat Fish Pepper Soup

Easter Meal Ideas Carfish Pepper soup
image from: Pinterest.com

This meal is definitely a favorite amongst Africans and Non-Africans and you bet it has to make it into the list of Easter meal ideas.

The catfish itself is widely referred to as Point and kill. This pepper soup recipe is simple to make and all of the ingredients can be found at your local markets around.

Catfish pepper soup is a delectable dish. It’s so adaptable that it’s suitable for any cuisine. You can serve it with white rice, and cornstarch (Agidi or Eko) or even take it hot as a temporary relief for extremely cold days. Catfish pepper soup is one of the easiest and quickest Nigerian pepper soups to make, but it is also quite easy to botch up. Because of its delicate nature, it requires precise time and care to prepare.

This recipe is always popular among visitors at Nigerian gatherings, and it is the most commonly prepared pepper soup in Nigeria. 

This is one of the Easter meal ideas that can be used to set the tone before dinner, it can serve as an appetizer.

Cabrito (Goat Meat Stew)

Easter Meal Ideas Cabrito
Cabrito (Goat Meat Stew)

The last meal on our  Easter meal ideas list is Cabrito which is Angolan for Goat meat stew 

 It is frequently consumed during celebrations, graduation parties, and even on notable holidays. People tend to overlook the other meats when there is a goat dish on the table.

Excellent ingredients, starting with red wine and ending with brandy and sherry, are used to make this traditional cabrito, which is cooked slowly.

Because it uses bread crumbs, a method from the Middle Ages, the thickening agent is also historically accurate. Instead of beef, pork, or chicken, goat meat requires an extra step in preparation because the meal will taste gamy if it isn’t.

Common preparation methods include boiling it with water, vinegar, and black peppercorns or marinating it in vinegar. But the gamy flavor is subdued in this goat stew by marinating it in red wine for several hours.

What is Easter?

Easter also called Pascha which is Aramaic or Resurrection Sunday is a Christian festival and cultural holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead as described in the New Testament which occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c 30 AD. 

It is the pinnacle of the Passion of Jesus Christ, which is before Lent which is a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. Christians commonly refer to the week before Easter as Holy Week, which in Western Christianity begins on Palm Sunday which marks the entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem.

It also includes Spy Wednesday on which the betrayal of Jesus is mourned and contains the days of the Easter Triduum including Maundy Thursday (which signifies the washing of the saint’s feet) and Last Supper as well as Good Friday.

Easter and its related holidays are moveable feasts, not falling on a fixed date. It has to come after the ecclesiastical moon that occurs on or soon after March 21st. Even when it is calculated on the basis of the more accurate Gregorian calendar, the date of that full moon sometimes differs from that of the astronomical first full moon after the March equinox.

These are some of our recommendations as regards Easter meal ideas that you should definitely try out this weekend. Let us know what recipe you would love to try out in the comments.

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Debbie Obierika
Debbie Obierika
I am a versatile writer with passion for curating interesting and thrilling content that wll keep my readers glued to their screen.
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