In the Netherlands, Easter celebrations have just concluded. As with any self-respecting place, we have a typical dessert here to honor this holiday. Do you already know what I'm talking about?
I am referring to Paasbrood, literally "Easter bread". It is part of the more general category of Feestbrood - festive bread - which is consumed in festive occasions, in luxurious moments, or in special moments. It is in exceptional circumstances that this particular kind of bread is prepared and baked, delighting tables and palates.
The custom of eating this kind of cake is very ancient. For Catholics Easter comes right after Lent, that is that long period of penitence of preparation. At the end of an austere cycle one could celebrate with something delicious, rich, joyful. A bread in which ingredients abound: walnuts, almond paste, cinnamon, nutmeg, candied fruit peel, and currants (often replaced with raisins). The fruit is baked and chopped before being vigorously mixed into the dough, which is then baked on a baking sheet. Bread is also a reminder of the Last Supper during which Christ broke bread with his hands and told his apostles <<Take it and eat it, this is my body>>.
The category of Feestbrood also includes other breads which are consumed in special occasions. Among these is Kerstbrood, Christmas bread. At a first glance the two types could seem identical, however they have some differences. As a matter of fact it should be only Easter bread to have also icing sugar on the surface and it should have more fruits in the dough. Christmas bread is more sober than Easter bread which with its richness should celebrate new life. In supermarket products it is difficult to find this difference, whereas in a good baker's it is.
Paasbrood is actually also called "stol", or "stolle" (from German), because it would seem it was invented in Germany - although Frisians from Netherlands claim its origin. The first mention of this cake was in fact in the Leeuwarder Courant of 1890, with the so called Thuringer Weinachtstollen. This cake then appeared in Dutch land, in the version of Kerststol in 1929.