Easter Bunnies on the Run
Easter Bunnies on the Run
And traveling the US, bit by bit
I went to New Orleans and had two of the best meals of my life there, at Maypop and Cane and Table. They’re both restaurants that consider how international the city is, and how influenced it is by cultures born outside the U.S. (Especially Caribbean culture. Honestly most everything good about New Orleans seemed very Caribbean to me.)
I’m off to New Mexico in a few weeks, flying in and out of Albuquerque, and definitely thinking of rolling into Santa Fe, too. Where should I eat? Please let me know in the comments.
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How Chocolate Bunnies Hopped Into Easter
By Sheila Julson
Each year on Easter morning, millions of chocolate bunnies throughout America are pulled from their faux grass confines and their ears are bitten off by excited children (and adults). The Easter bunny (as we know it), along with its mass-produced chocolate likeness, dates back to the turn of the 20th century and is rooted in Germany.
There’s a popular tale that the Osterhase (the German word for “Easter hare”) was a familiar of Ostara, a fertility goddess once worshiped by Germanic people. (Some say that Ostara was invented post facto, and the Osterhase legend was probably created by Jacob Grimm in the 1800s, so most of this is not “accurate” in the traditional sense.) Rabbits, of course, have long been associated with the spring due to their pronounced virility.
By the 19th century, wood, fabric, and papier-mâché holiday hares, many of which had removable heads to store treats inside, were available throughout Germany. Bunnies eventually became available in edible form, made from pastry dough with a hard-boiled egg placed in the “stomach.” Soon after, tin and porcelain molds were created to craft chocolate rabbits.
Around 1890, American drug store owner Robert L. Strohecker partnered with Luden's Candy (owned by William H. Luden, who later became known for his cough drops), in Reading, Pa., to create a five-foot high chocolate rabbit to display in the window of his store as an Easter promotion. The chocolate rabbit trend soon caught on and multiplied as quickly as actual rabbits.
The March 23, 1902 edition of the Reading Eagle dedicated an article to the growing popularity of chocolate rabbits at Easter. The Industrial Revolution made it easier and more affordable to mass produce these springtime treats. By the mid-1920s, chocolate bunnies were widely available, posed standing, sitting, donning top hats, holding baskets, and engaging in activities like playing guitar. None hiding their delicious ears, though.
“There are a lot of hypebeasts running around, for sure.”
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