Mayiritsa (μαγειρίτσα, say: mah-yee-REET-sah) is best known as an Easter soup, eaten at the midnight meal after Easter services, as the main event in a light meal to break the Lenten fast, but it's a delicious soup that can be eaten at any time. It is a soup similar to the famous Egg-Lemon Chicken Soup, made with rice and avgolemono (egg-lemon sauce), but with lamb instead of chicken.
The main Easter meal (on Easter Sunday) has traditionally been an occasion to slaughter a lamb or goat, and this soup was designed to use the leftover parts so that nothing went to waste.
While you may never make the traditional version that calls for those parts (offal), there are other versions that might be great choices for your family made with lamb meat and bones, or chicken livers (lamb isn't for everyone), whether you celebrate Orthodox Easter or not.
Mayiritsa Recipes
Photo © N. Gaifyllia, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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Comments
Nancy,
I did a packed class on Greek food a few weeks back and began with that wonderfully creamy Avgolemono Chicken Soup. I’ll have to try the lamb soup.
How wonderful! I have friends who dump a can of anybody’s chicken soup in a pan just so they can make the avgolemono part!