Fashion.at

15 April 2025

Spinach Traditions, Trends and Modern Takes on a Classic Recipe: Austria’s Gründonnerstag in Green

A rustic-style plate featuring classic Gründonnerstag fare: creamed spinach, a sunny side up fried egg, and crispy roasted potatoes. The image was generated by Fashion.at in collaboration with ChatGPT.

A Day of Remembrance and Color

Gründonnerstag, or Holy Thursday, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples and marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum in Christian tradition. The term "Grün" (green) in Gründonnerstag is somewhat misleading; historical linguists suggest it may originate from the Middle High German word grînen, meaning to weep or mourn. Over time, however, the association with the color green prevailed—likely reinforced by the symbolic meaning of green as a color of hope and renewal.

The Green on the Plate

This semantic shift found its way into the kitchen. In Austria, a culinary tradition developed around eating green dishes on Gründonnerstag. Chief among them: spinach. When asked about their Gründonnerstag meal, many Austrians will likely mention spinach served with fried egg and potatoes.

Spinach by the Numbers

According to trend studies conducted in 2023 and 2021 and commissioned by iglo, one of Austria's leading producers of frozen vegetables, around one third of Austrians consistently eat spinach on Gründonnerstag, while about a quarter do so occasionally. Unsurprisingly, spinach sales spike in the weeks leading up to Easter. Iglo reports that approximately 44 percent of its annual spinach sales occur during this time.

Local Harvest and National Preference

Each year, about 3,200 tonnes of spinach are harvested in Austria's Marchfeld region for iglo products. The company processes this local products into three main variants: creamed spinach, leaf spinach, and puréed spinach. Of the roughly 5 million iglo spinach packs sold annually, creamed spinach leads with around 3 million units, followed by leaf spinach (1 million) and puréed (900,000).

Frozen and Fresh – A Nutritional Edge

Iglo attributes the popularity not only to tradition but also to convenience and nutrition. The quick freezing process helps retain vitamins and flavor—benefits often lost in fresh spinach during long transport times.

Spinach Recipes for Gründonnerstag

To support home cooks in upholding the Gründonnerstag tradition, iglo has shared three recipe ideas featuring leaf spinach:

- Leaf Spinach Strudel with Feta and Pine Nuts (Blattspinatstrudel mit Feta und Pinienkernen)
- Spinach Dumplings with Parmesan (Spinatknödel mit Parmesan)
- Spinach and Feta Pasta (Spinat-Feta-Pasta)

Fashion.at's Choice: Spinach Dumplings with Parmesan

All three dishes offer appealing takes on the classic 'Green Thursday' (Gründonnerstag) meal, but Fashion.at's choice is the spinach dumpling recipe. Not only does it reflect a rustic and comforting approach, but its ingredients are already in the Fashion.at kitchen. That certainly makes the decision easier.


Image: A rustic-style plate featuring classic Gründonnerstag fare: creamed spinach, a sunny side up fried egg, and crispy roasted potatoes. The image was generated by Fashion.at in collaboration with ChatGPT.