Magiritsa (Μαγειρίτσα (magiritsa))
Overview
Magiritsa is the Greek Easter soup, eaten in the early hours of Easter Sunday after the midnight church service. It is made from lamb offal, mainly liver, heart and intestines, cooked with plenty of spring onions, dill and lettuce in a lamb broth with rice. The soup is finished with avgolemono, a sauce of eggs and lemon juice, which makes it creamy, pale and tangy. It breaks the long Lenten fast before the lamb is roasted later in the day.
History
Magiritsa uses the parts of the Easter lamb that would not be roasted on the spit, so nothing is wasted. It has been part of Greek Orthodox Easter traditions for generations, and families gather to eat it after the Resurrection service. Some modern versions use lamb meat or mushrooms instead of offal for those who prefer them.
Main ingredients
Lamb offal, rice, spring onions, dill, romaine lettuce, egg and lemon. The soup is built on lamb broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Lamb soups · Tripe and offal soups · Rice soups · Egg soups · More soups from Greece
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~120 min
Ingredients
- 500 g lamb liver, heart and cleaned intestines
- 1 bunch spring onions, 1 large bunch dill
- 1 romaine lettuce, shredded
- 80 g rice
- 1.5 l lamb stock
- 3 eggs, juice of 2 lemons
Allergens: Contains: Eggs. Based on the typical recipe. Recipes and products vary; always check labels if you have an allergy.
Method
- Blanch the offal, then cut it into small pieces.
- Fry with the spring onions, add the stock and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add the rice, lettuce and dill and cook for 20 minutes.
- Whisk eggs with lemon, temper with broth and stir in off the heat.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
