The traditional Russian Easter bread is called kulich.
Kulich is a rich, sweet yeast bread associated with Russian Orthodox Easter. It is typically baked in a tall cylindrical mold, giving it a distinctive upright shape, and is often finished with white icing that drips down the sides. Raisins and spices are common additions.
The tall form is traditionally linked with artos, the consecrated Easter bread used in Eastern Orthodox practice. After the Easter service, families may take kulich to church to be blessed. It is then eaten during the Easter season, especially after the long fast of Great Lent has ended.
Kulich is related to other Eastern European Easter breads, including Ukrainian paska, but the names are not interchangeable in every context. It is also sometimes compared with Italian panettone because both are enriched, fruit-studded yeast breads; kulich is generally denser and more strongly associated with Orthodox Easter customs. Paskha, another Russian Easter food, is a separate sweet dish made chiefly from curd cheese.