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The foods that are always mentioned first are bread, eggs, salt and smoked meats (ham, sausage, etc.). As for their supposed symbolism, in the case of bread it’s a Eucharistic and, therefore, Christian one: bread as the Body of Christ. Eggs (often brightly dyed or painted) are said to be a symbol of new or reborn life; and even though you may associate them with Christ’s resurrection, the sources avoid using the word “resurrection” itself. Salt is particularly rich in symbolic meanings: hospitality, truth, meaning of life and even immortality. The meats, we shall come back to later.
Further spots are taken by: black pepper (if mentioned, then always in the same breath as salt), lamb, cakes and horseradish. The pepper is supposedly symbolic of “harmony between humans and nature”; cakes (especially [[Good King Stanislas and the Forty Thieves|babas]], or Polish bundt cakes) stand for skill and perfection (which is why they should be always home-made), while horseradish is meant to be a sign of Christ’s victory over suffering. It’s getting more and more creative, I must say. When it comes to the lamb, it’s not really the meat of a young sheep, but a lamb figurine, representing – depending on the source – Christ resurrected, victory of life over death and of good over evil, or meekness and gentleness. The figurine may be fashioned out of butter, sugar, cake, chocolate or plaster (in the latter case, consumption not recommended). According to some sources, you may also add cheese (possibly ''paskha'', a delicious Easter fresh-cheese dessert, although the illustrations feature slices of yellow cheese with holes instead), butter, chocolate (probably in the form of a lamb or a bunny) and water.
<nomobile>[[File:Dwa koszyki, dziesięć różnic.png|thumb|upright|Spot ten differences.]]</nomobile>
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Let’s return to blessing formulas. We know already that three formulas are used in Poland today, but there used to be way more. There were seven in the 1960s; altogether, over 50 different benedictions, each for a different kind of food, were said over the years.<ref>M. Pisarzak (2003), p. 100–101</ref> Salt was being blessed as a symbol of wisdom and immortality; horseradish, a symbol of penitence; milk and honey, of the promised land; oil, as protection against disease and sin; and fruits, as a reminder of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.<ref>M. Pisarzak (1976), p. 215–217, 224–225</ref> But most importantly, the blessing of all this food and drink was believed to protect those who consumed it after a long period of fasting from possible ill effects of sudden overindulgence. Here’s one old Polish blessing formula in which God is requested to let people eat fatty meat without gaining weight. Which is also what I wish for you this coming Easter.
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