Yasser Abdellatif

Spring onions have religious symbolic value inherited from Pharaonic mythology. They are an essential element in the celebration of the Shemu feast, which comes the Monday after the Coptic Easter. On this spring festival, fermented, salted mullet fish is served with spring onion. Fish in such a state alludes to death and mummification, while green onions symbolize revitalization and growth. In this Egyptian Holy Week, pharaonic beliefs merge with eastern Christianity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are reflected in the mirrors of the Ancient Egyptian trinity of Isis, Osiris, and their son Horus.

— Egyptian Cuisine: Historical and Geographical Features, Beyond the Food Court