Shrove Tuesday is Pancake Day!

Today is Shrove Tuesday - this means different things to different people but it is the day before Ash Wednesday, also known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent starts. In England it is known as Pancake Day - most people eat pancakes but I'm not sure many people there actually observe Lent.

We always make pancakes for dinner on this day, even though we live in the USA.

There are pancake races all over Britain, dating back to 1445 in the famous Olney, Buckinghamshire.

We are serious about this in England!

But there's more to Shrove Tuesday than pigging out on pancakes or taking part in a public pancake race. The pancakes themselves are part of an ancient custom with deeply religious roots. 

Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the ritual of shriving that Christians used to undergo in the past. In shriving, a person confesses their sins and receives absolution for them.

Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. During Lent there are many foods that some Christians, historically and today, do not eat - foods such as meat and fish, fats, eggs, and milky foods.

So that no food was wasted, families would have a feast on the shriving Tuesday, and eat up all the foods that wouldn't last the forty days of Lent without going bad.

The need to eat up the fats gave rise to the French name Mardi Gras ('fat Tuesday'). Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday as they were a dish that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk in the house with just the addition of flour.

The origin of pancake racing

Pancake races are thought to have begun in 1445. A woman had lost track of the time on Shrove Tuesday, and was busy cooking pancakes in her kitchen.

Suddenly she heard the church bell ringing to call the faithful to church for confession. The woman raced out of her house and ran all the way to church; still holding her frying pan and wearing her apron.

The pancakes in America are not the pancakes we eat in England on this day, they are more like crepes to everyone else. We always served them with sugar and wedges of Lemons and Oranges.

Recipe for Shrove Tuesday Pancakes:-

4 large eggs 1 cup milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat) 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla, extract 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup all purpose flour Additional melted butter Powdered sugar Fresh lemon juice Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 6 ingredients in blender. Gradually add flour; blend until smooth. Let stand 15 minutes. Heat medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush with butter. Add 2 generous tablespoons batter, tilting pan to coat bottom. Cook until golden on bottom, about 45 seconds. Turn pancake over. Cook until bottom is speckled with brown, about 30 seconds. Turn out onto paper towel. Cover with another paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet with butter as needed. Butter ovenproof dish. Sift powdered sugar over speckled side of each pancake, then sprinkle lightly with lemon juice; fold pancakes into quarters. Overlap pancakes in prepared dish. Cover; bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve with more powdered sugar and lemon juice.

See you at the pancake race today!