AT THE LAMB'S HIGH FEAST OR WORTHY IS THE BUTTER LAMB

The first time I ever heard of butter lambs was radio spots WILM did for Johnny's Supermarket. I used to pack them in ice and schlep them across the state of Pennsylvania every Easter. The lambs, not the radio spot. Supposedly the butter lamb is a Polish tradition, although my Hungarian grandmother and my Italian aunt remember them from their youth. The Polish word for lamb is "Baranek, " similar to the Russian "Baranyano" or something like that. A, who is from Poland, says she has never heard of such a thing although I don't know how big Catholic holidays during the '70's and '80's when she was growing up there. I imagine it was the creation of Polish immigrants who were too poor to afford an actual lamb roast.

Although I am not Polish or from Buffalo, these web sites have struck a cord with me. Enjoy!

http://butterlambacrossamerica.blogspot.com

http://www.thefootnote.net/v4q4/0401anti.html

http://www.forgottenbuffalo.com/buffalospolonia.html