On Easter, even atheists paint eggs - simply because the tradition is beautiful. Meanwhile, a large number of boiled eggs throughout the country these days often leads to post-holiday stomach problems for their consumers. And all because of improper cooking or storage of the Easter symbol ...

Use the advice of the portal , to enjoy Easter eggs, not to make problems for yourself.

By the way!

Did you know that our ancestors, painting eggs before Easter, put a very specific meaning into their own drawings? Hops and dots on the egg were symbols of fertility, oak - a symbol of strength, and dove - a symbol of the soul. Wishing someone close to health, they gave him an egg on which a pine tree was painted, and expressing a feeling of love to someone, they put a drawing of plums on an Easter egg.

Among the symbols there are those that are related only to women (apparently, because it was women who painted Easter eggs). The berries in the picture symbolized a mother and a woman, her ability to reproduce and take care of offspring, and the flowers on the egg, on the contrary, testified to the virginity of the girl.

A special role in the painting of eggs was played by the mesh, which was considered a symbol of fate. If it was white or applied to White background, then symbolized the fate that is being built in the sky, and if it was yellow, then on the ground.

CHISINAU, April 5 - Sputnik. The head of the municipal public health center, Luminica Suveica, spoke in a comment about the risks posed by dyes for Easter eggs.

"Personally, I prefer natural dyes - onion peel - the eggs turn out to be very beautiful golden color. But if someone needs eggs of scarlet color, then you need to choose food dyes," the interlocutor said.

According to her, the packaging should indicate that it is a food coloring, as well as describe the composition and shelf life. The doctor stressed that you can not buy paint for eggs outside of specialized outlets.

“You can’t buy egg paint in the middle of the street, by the spoonful, when you don’t know what they are slipping into us. If the shell cracked during cooking and the protein turned colored, then we can already say that the paint is not of very high quality. In general, it is better to use natural dyes. Some also use parsley leaves , and decorate the eggs in some other way. I recommend natural dyes," Suweike said.

© Sputnik / Mikhail Mordasov

How long can eggs be stored?

According to her, painted eggs can be stored for a maximum of two days. As the specialist noted, it is not recommended to leave them in the refrigerator until Radunitsa (memorial days), as the eggs will already be inedible.

"It is not recommended that food stay on the table for more than two hours. This is undesirable. And in general, you need to be careful, because now merchants offer various products. There was a post, and now they need to sell goods. I recommend buying products in authorized places. Pay attention even when buying eggs appearance goods," added Suweike.

How to choose eggs?

• The shell must be whole and clean.
• Protein and yolk should be clean, without any stains.
• Pay attention to the smell of eggs, as spoiled ones may be caught.
• Eggs must be stamped with the production date.

dyed eggs - indispensable attribute Happy Easter. This is the main holiday dish and a good Easter gift to a friend and relative. Every year, believers paint eggs before the holiday so that there is prosperity and joy in the house. But the great feast falls every year on different time and you wondered when it is allowed to paint eggs before Easter? Do this in the week leading up to Easter, and on what day - let's try to figure it out.

We paint eggs for Easter on Maundy Thursday and Saturday

Our ancestors began to prepare for the holiday from the Monday of Holy Week preceding the holiday. But if you paint eggs on Monday, what will happen to them until Sunday? Traditionally, two days are allocated for this festive preparation:

• Pure Thursday. Don't start painting eggshells early in the morning. First, put things in order in the house - do a general cleaning, wash windows, doors and floors, wash clothes. According to tradition, everyone bathes at home on this day. Then start baking Easter cakes and paint eggs.
• Great Saturday. If you spent the whole Thursday cleaning, and it didn’t come to coloring the eggs, don’t be discouraged. You can paint them and cook different festive dishes in the kitchen on Saturday morning. On Sunday, no one does it anymore.

Why can't you paint eggs for Easter on other days of Holy Week?

On the first three days of Holy Week - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, it is forbidden to engage in household chores. Pray at home, go to church, observe the rules of fasting. In addition, it is too early to paint boiled eggs, they will deteriorate before Sunday.

The saddest day of the week before Easter is Good Friday. On this day our Lord was crucified. Give up all household chores, fast, pray, go to church. Priests recommend to refrain from any housework on this day. But if you have no other time, start painting eggshells after 15-00. This is the time of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. But it is unlikely that you will want to do homework on such a sad day.

When did the tradition of dyeing eggs for Easter begin?

This tradition, according to one version, came to us from the 10th century. This is stated in the writings dating back to the tenth century. A manuscript was found in the library of a Greek monastery and it says that after the Paschal service, the abbot distributed to the monks colored eggs and said: "Christ is Risen!"

If you read the Bible, you know that the tradition of dyeing eggshells appeared even earlier - after the resurrection of the Lord. Mary Magdalena hurried after the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ to the Roman emperor Tiberius to tell the good news. She brought him an egg. But the ruler laughed and said that he would believe in the resurrection only if the eggshell changed color. And a miracle happened! Eggshell became purple. This shade is not random. It is a symbol of the shed blood of Jesus Christ for all people.

Folk signs associated with colored eggs for Easter

In Russia, many signs are associated with Easter eggs:

• the first dyed egg given for Easter is different unique properties. It never deteriorated, and it was placed next to the icons and kept until the next holiday. People believe that it protects the house from evil people and all evil spirits;
• do not throw away the shell of a colored egg. Bury it in the garden and get a good harvest;
• to preserve beauty and youth, young girls washed their faces with water, in which they had previously placed the shells of colored eggs.

Create for your Easter basket extravaganza of colors, painting the eggs with bright and festive shades. Take it to the temple along with Easter cakes and dedicate it. Give this Easter gift to a friend or relative and share the joy of our Lord's resurrection.

At Easter, it is customary to paint eggs with different colors, but among the colorful eggs, bright red eggs occupy a central place. Why?

History has preserved this tradition for us. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his disciples and followers dispersed different countries everywhere proclaiming the good news that death is no longer to be feared. She was defeated by Christ, the Savior of the world. He resurrected Himself and will resurrect everyone who will believe Him and will love people just as He loved.

Mary Magdalene dared to come with this message to the Roman Emperor Tiberius himself. Since it was not customary to come to the emperor without gifts, and Mary had nothing, she came with a simple chicken egg. Of course, she chose the egg with meaning. The egg has always been a symbol of life: in a strong shell there is life hidden from the eyes, which in due time will break out of lime captivity in the form of a small yellow chicken.

But when Mary began to tell Tiberius that Jesus Christ had also escaped from the mortal shackles and resurrected, the emperor only laughed: “It is also impossible, as your white egg turns red.” And before Tiberius had time to finish the phrase, the egg in the hands of Mary Magdalene turned completely red.

Since then, in memory of this event, which symbolizes our faith in the Risen Lord, we have been painting eggs.

Colored eggs are not only served at the festive Easter table, it was customary to give them to each other throughout the Easter week. Since ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of emerging and renewing life. This idea is the basis of many of the customs that existed among different peoples. For example, in Russia, in some areas, an egg was laid in its foundation so that the work of the builders could be argued, and happiness and prosperity would not leave its future owners.

On Easter in Russia, it was customary to lay colored eggs on fresh sprouted greens of oats, wheat, and sometimes on tiny green cress leaves, which were specially germinated for the holiday.

Easter festivities games with eggs were often arranged. For example, in the villages "rolled" eggs. They chose a small flat piece of land, trampled down to get a flat area. Shallow holes were made in the ground. Each of the participants brought their own painted eggs, which were laid out in the holes. The task of each participant was to roll out the testicle he liked from the hole - then he became the winner. The eggs were rolled out using a special rag ball with flattened sides, similar to a wheel.

Since there was a custom to keep eggs for a whole year until the next Easter, over time, eggs began to be made of wood and painted with ornaments and patterns. Later, eggs made of porcelain, silver with precious stones appeared.

How to boil eggs?

The answer to this question is very carefully. First you need to remember a few rules.

Never boil eggs directly from the refrigerator, because very cold eggs that are placed in hot water are more likely to burst. Use a timer - try to guess how many eggs were cooked and constantly remind yourself to look at the clock is not worth it. Never boil eggs for too long (unless you have a timer) as the yolks will turn black and the whites will look like rubber. If the eggs are very fresh (less than 4 days old), cook them 3 minutes longer. Always use a small saucepan - when there is too much space, the eggs can hit each other and crack. Never bring to a vigorous boil; you need to cook them over medium heat. Remember that eggs have a pad at the blunt end where air collects. During cooking, pressure can accumulate there and the shell will crack. To To avoid this, pierce the egg from the blunt end with a needle to release steam. Of course, everyone loves eggs cooked in different ways.

I suggest simplest method an egg boiler you can rely on, no matter the taste.

Soft-boiled eggs, method 1

First of all, you need to pour boiling water into a small saucepan so that the water exceeds the eggs by 1 cm. Then quickly, but carefully, using a tablespoon, lower the eggs into the water one at a time. Then turn on the timer and cook the eggs at a boil for exactly 1 minute. Then remove the pan from the heat and cover it with a lid, set the timer again and measure:

6 minutes to get a soft yolk with seized but runny protein

7 minutes to get a denser yolk with completely frozen protein.

Soft-boiled eggs, method 2

Another way that works just as well. This time, the eggs need to be put in a saucepan, pour cold water, put on a large fire and as soon as they boil, reduce the heat and measure out:

3 minutes if you want a semi-liquid egg

4 minutes for the protein to "grab" and the yolk to remain liquid

5 minutes, so that both the yolk and protein are cooked, but in the very middle there is a bright yellow liquid spot.

Hard boiled eggs

Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, set the timer for 6 minutes if you want eggs that are slightly watery in the middle, 7 minutes if you want fully cooked eggs.

Then it is very important to quickly douse them with cold water. Hold them under running cold water for 1 minute, then leave them in cold water until they are cool enough to handle - about 2 minutes.

Peeling hard boiled eggs

Peel boiled eggs can also be difficult, especially if the eggs are too fresh. So rule number one is to boil your eggs at least 5 days after the date they were packed. The easiest way to peel them is by first cracking the shell all over the egg, then holding it under running water, starting at the blunt end. The water will wash away all the little bits of the shell. Then the eggs again need to be put in cold water until they are completely cool. If you don't chill the eggs quickly, they will continue to cook, overcook, and the blackened yolk problem will reappear.

The beautiful coloring of quail eggs makes them a great alternative to chicken eggs, and they are just as easy to prepare. Again, they shouldn't be too fresh, and it's best to cook them with the first method by dipping them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Then cool them down quickly and clean as described above.

HOW TO COLOR EGGS

1. For coloring eggs, it is best to use onion peel, which is harvested in advance. Depending on the color of the husk, the color of the eggs is from light red to dark brown. If you want the color to be more saturated, you need to take more husks and cook it for about half an hour.
   sa before lowering the eggs into the broth. Almost purple eggs come from red onion husks. You can also dye with birch leaves or food coloring.

   So that the eggs do not burst during cooking, they must be kept warm for about an hour or at room temperature, while boiling, you can add a tablespoon of salt to the water.

   Some families keep the custom of dyeing eggs "speckled". To do this, wet eggs are rolled in dry rice, wrapped in gauze (the ends of the gauze must be tied tightly with thread so that the rice sticks to the egg) and then boiled in onion peel in the usual way.

   To make the painted eggs shine, they are wiped dry and smeared with sunflower oil.

   You can boil eggs wrapped in multi-colored threads, then they get interesting stains.

   In order for the eggs to be colored from the inside, and not from the outside, you need to boil them for 3 minutes, then take them out and pierce the shells with a needle in some places, and then boil another 1-1.5 in a strong tea with the addition of cloves, cinnamon and coriander.

   To quickly color the eggs, boil them for 10 minutes with some vegetable: spinach (green) or chopped beets (bright red). For a marbled effect, wrap eggs in onion skins and tie some cotton material over the top.

NATURAL PAINTS FOR EGGS

Ocher
4 cups red onion skins. Boil eggs for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Depending on the soaking time, the eggs will turn bright scarlet to deep red.

Gilding
Add 2-3 tablespoons of turmeric to hot water, boil to intensify the color.

Pink
Soak boiled eggs in cranberry or beetroot juice.

Violet
Add violet flowers to hot water and soak overnight. If you add a little to the water lemon juice, you get a lavender color.

Blue
Two heads of finely chopped red cabbage, 500 ml of water and 6 tbsp of white vinegar. Soak overnight for a deep blue color.

Green
Add to mixture to get purple 1 tsp soda or boil eggs with spinach.

Lavender
Soak eggs in grape juice.

Pastel shades
For soft pinks and blues, rub the shells with a handful of blueberries or cranberries.

Beige
4 cups yellow onion skins Boil 30 minutes - 1 hour. The amount of husk and the duration of boiling affect the saturation of the color.

Dark brown
Boil eggs in 250 ml of coffee.

Reference
Meanings of symbols used when painting Easter eggs:

Pine- a symbol of health.
Black color- the color of sorrow. A bright pattern was necessarily applied to a black base. The child was made Easter eggs on a cherry background, and not on black.
Pigeon is a symbol of the soul.
Mesh- a symbol of fate.
White color- the beginning of all beginnings: destiny, which is built in the sky.
yellow mesh- a symbol of the sun and the fate that is being built here.
Oak- a symbol of strength.
Dots- a symbol of fertility.
plums- a symbol of love.
Hop- a symbol of fertility.
Any berry- a symbol of fertility; mother.
Flowers- a symbol of girlhood.