Quick Bites: A Dye-ing Art

It’s that time again. Time to get out the plastic cups, fill them with pungent white vinegar, and plop in a fizzy tablet of swirling color to dye Easter eggs. The ubiquitous PAAS kits have not changed much in more than a century. But the custom of decorating eggs has deep roots in many cultures.

As early as 3,000 B.C., the Persians were exchanging dyed red eggs as gifts for the coming of spring. Symbolizing the promise of new life in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, colored eggs were also an important part of spring celebrations. Chinese tradition takes a more literal approach: Parents of newborns present gifts of colored eggs to their friends to represent the birth.

The first Christians known to color eggs were thirteenth-century Macedonians, influenced by crusaders returning from the Middle East. However, the Ukraine and other Slavic countries are responsible for taking simple decoration to artistic heights. Using a batik process known as pysanka, the use of wax stenciling produces intricate symbolic motifs on brilliantly colored eggs. Their fragile beauty prompted Fabergé to create the exquisite—yet more permanent—jeweled Easter eggs for the Russian Imperial Court.

This year, should you wish to follow in the footsteps of the ancients, consider tinting your eggs with natural dyes. Try crushed blueberries, Red Zinger tea, coffee, or turmeric to produce pale violet, rose, sepia, and sunflower hues to swirl or layer as you please. Happy spring!