Why Do Italians Eat Lamb on Easter?

Lamb has a significant role in Italy's culinary tradition. The Tuscan-style alla cacciatora stew, Sardinian-style alla sarda with saffron preparation, the Roman-style roasted recipe, and the braised version served with peas and hard-boiled eggs found in Naples are just a few of the peninsula's lamb dishes. Yet lamb's culinary history runs millennia-deep. 

In the Old Testament

In Christianity and Judaism, the lamb symbolizes sacrifice. In the book of Exodus (Exodus, 12:1-9), God spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Passover, "Each of us should get one lamb per family, one lamb per house.” And again, "On that night, they shall eat its meat roasted by fire; they shall eat it with unleavened and bitter herbs. You will not eat it raw, nor boiled in water, but only roasted by the fire with the head, legs, and bowels.”

A symbol of innocence

In Mediterranean regions, lamb has always been considered a symbol of honesty and of the fragility of life, especially for semi-nomadic populations like the Jews. With the offering of a lamb, believers give their most beautiful, pure, and precious offering to God – as though they were offering themselves.  It's similar to the ram that God asks Abraham to seek following the terrible trial of Isaac's sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-18).

John the Baptist

In the New Testament, John the Baptist welcomes Jesus by saying, "Behold the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sin of the world!" Prophesying his sacrificial role for the redemption of humanity, Jesus was offered up "as a lamb led to slaughter.” (Isaiah 53:7)

The turning point

The Gospels and Jesus' preachings contain no trace of the ritual sacrifice found so often in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the Lamb represented Jesus himself, which has prompted many believers to maintain that eating lamb on Easter is not a Christian tradition at all. As far back as 165 AD, it was said in regard to Easter that Christ made the true sacrifice and that the Easter sacrifice of the lamb no longer made sense. 

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI stated: "The nostalgic, and in some ways, ineffective gesture of the immolation of the innocent and immaculate lamb found an answer in Him who for us became both Lamb and Temple.”

The passage

For Christians, therefore, the sacrificial rite disappears – but the tradition of consuming lamb remains intact, but bears a different meaning. Although this tradition is incorporated into Easter rituals in a milder, more "pagan" form than Judaism, a certain shift probably occurred under the Roman emperor Constantine. This tradition has been kept alive and to this day remains relevant, particularly in the areas devoted to sheep farming such as in central and southern Italy. And the tradition has even evolved into unique lamb recipes. 

But generally speaking, eating lamb on Easter was just one of the few occasions for eating top-quality meat – a luxury very few could afford during the rest of the year.