Easter eggs in Bulgarian style

IMNSHO that’s the most pretty thing you can do with a food 😉 – just follow this Google images link -> click!

The most ordinary ones are the plain painted eggs with just one color. There always must be red ones. The orthodox Bulgarian church associates this color with the blood of Christ. So if you are to paint Eggs – make at least few with bright red color.

There are some nice techniques used in some villages as the city of Ihtiman to make lines and figures with wax before painting the eggs and after that to melt the wax with candle. The figures showing after melting are with the original egg color. And if you are good with a small brush – light some wide candle, wait a bit for the wax to melt and start making pretty eggs. Your friends will be amazed.

There are also various applications of pre-made small pictures the kids will readily stick on the eggs while helping you with the boiling and painting. It’s a family holiday after all. Let them 😉

Anyway. It’s “Great Thursday” as we call it (Велики четвъртък) and is the last day you are allowed to do this Egg painting, so grab the brush, melt the candle and dissolve the paint 😉

 

 

Some tricks and experience from my kitchen:

• If you want to be sure, there will be no cracked eggs while boiling, always use medium or low hot plate.
• Never put the pot with the eggs over a pre-heated hot plate.
• Always use cold water and let it heat slowly.
• Put some old paper  into the pot and put the eggs over the paper. This way the hotplate will  not heat the egg surface directly.
• Always make hard boiled eggs for painting.
• Always clean and dry the eggs before painting.
• If the original egg color is too dark put it for 20 seconds in a glass of vinegar. It will whiten and will be easier for peeling later.
• Using this method also makes sure there are no residual germs over the egg’s surface.
• Use egg paint from known source and prefer bio-paints instead of chemical ones. There are some chemical blue paints that include Cyanide (imagine you kids touching that)
• Shake the eggs beside your ear before boiling. If there is gurgling sound – don’t use them.