The Paskha is a Slavic festive dish prepared in Eastern Orthodox countries during Holy Week and then brought to Church on Holy Saturday to be blessed after the Easter Vigil.

The name of the dish comes from Pascha, the celebration of Eastern Orthodox Easter.

Besides Russia and Slavic countries, it is also prepared in Finland.

Based on tvorog (a Russian fresh cheese similar to ricotta), which is white, symbolizing the purity of Christ, the Easter Lamb, and the joy of the Resurrection.

To which ingredients like butter, eggs, smetana (sour cream), raisins, almonds, vanilla, and candied fruit are added.

For Paskha, a mold, traditionally shaped as a truncated pyramid is used, made of wood and called pasochnitsa (пасочница), symbolizing the first Passover in Egypt.

Some instead believe that the pyramid is a symbol of the Trinity, the Church, and the tomb of Christ.

It is usually served as an accompaniment to the rich Easter breads called paska (not to be confused with it) in Ukraine, kulich in Russia, and Pascha in Poland.

It is decorated with traditional religious symbols, such as the three-bar Orthodox cross and the letters X and B (Cyrillic letters standing for Христосъ Воскресе which translates to “Christ is Risen”).

Paskha can be baked as an egg custard or “raw” and simply composed of raw curd and other ingredients mixed at room temperature.