Paskha

Paskha (also spelled pascha, or pasha; Russian: па́сха; [ˈpasxə]; "Easter") is a Slavic festive dish made in Eastern Orthodox countries which consists of food that is forbidden during the fast of Great Lent.

[2] It is usually served as an accompaniment to rich Easter breads called paska in Ukraine and kulich in Russia (where the "paskha" name is also used in the Southern regions) and Poland “Pascha”.

[3] The Easter foods; bread and cheese paska are very rich and made of many dairy items given up during Great Lent.

The pascha is decorated with traditional religious symbols, such as the Orthodox three-bar cross, and the letters X and B (Cyrillic letters which stands for Христосъ Воскресе which translates to Christ is Risen.In addition to the main ingredient (tvorog), additional ingredients, such as butter, eggs, smetana (sour cream), raisin, almonds, vanilla, spices, and candied fruits can be used.

The tvorog is first pressed in order to eliminate the maximum amount of liquid possible, then put twice through a sieve to make a homogeneous mass.