With the Holy Week in Spain comes one of the typical products from the Spanish gastronomy for this time, the Mona de Pascua (Easter Cake). This sweet is very common in the Valencian Community and Catalonia, and its presence has been growing in many other cities over the last years, so, if you are undertaking a basic Spanish course in Spain you can buy it in many bakeries.
Its name comes from the arabic munna, which means “provision for the mouth”, and it is a present that the Moorish made to their masters. Nowadays, it symbolises the end of Lent and the Holy Week.
Traditional Mona de Pascua
There are many types of mona, the most traditional is the one that can be found in Valencia, Alicante or Castellón. In these areas the mona is a cake made with floor, sugar, eggs and salt, and garnished with boiled eggs with decorations painted on their shells (Easter eggs). It is very normal now to see monas with animal shapes, like snakes or lizards, and accompanied by chocolate eggs.
In Catalonia its preparation has undergone an evolution over time and there are many types of monas, from the more traditional to the more elaborate ones, which are chocolate pies with animation characters or news personalities. Many pastry cooks from Barcelona or Tarragona make monas that are real pieces of art which they usually display in their bakeries or patisseries. We recommend you, if your are undertaking a basic Spanish course in any of these cities, to go have a look at the spectacular monas de Pascua.
The mona is usually eaten on Easter Monday(day after Resurrection Sunday), when it is customary to spend the day with family and friends. It is tradition to break the egg on the forehead of someone else. So, go buy your mona de Pascua and enjoy these days with your friends from the basic Spanish courses in Spain…and do not forget to break the Easter egg on their foreheads.
Image mona. Tamorlan. http://bit.ly/HhZVic
Image mona barcelona. Cristina Caldedrer. http://bit.ly/Hd8Hwu
Tags: spanish courses in spain, spanish cuisine, spanish traditions