Dying the eggs on Thursday of the Holy Week is a family ritual for Greek Orthodox Christians all over the world, including here in Australia.
But it's not just a fun, bonding activity to do with the kids. The red egg has a deeper meaning symbolising the blood of Christ.
But some of our younger ones might be surprised to know, they weren't always vibrant red as we most often see them today.
Our yiayiades would use a purely natural method with onion skins.
They are easy to prepare, you don't need to worry about chemical colours, plus it's a great way to revive a Greek Easter tradition in its original form, just like the old days.
We revisit Angela Nicolettou's how-to-guide:
Greek Easter eggs dyed with onion skins
Ingredients
12 eggs at room temperature
4 handfuls of dry red onion skins
2 tbs vinegar
Olive oil
Method
- Place the onion skins in a pot of cold water with the vinegar and bring to the boil. Boil for 15 minutes and then remove from the heat and let cool completely.
- Prepare the eggs, making sure they are clean and decorate with leaves or flowers if you choose to. To do this you will need to tie a piece of pantyhose around the egg to hold the decoration in place.
- Strain the cooled liquid and add back into a saucepan. Add the eggs and if needed add some cold water to ensure they are covered. Gently bring to the boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. Remove eggs from the pot and as soon as you can handle them remove any decorations.
- Polish the eggs with a soft cloth and olive oil. Once cooled, store in the fridge.
