Pancake Day – Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day, Mardi Gras, and Carnival is celebrated throughout the world and known by many different names.  Pancake Day is traditionally celebrated in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States.

If you are looking for a pancake recipe (and instructions on how to flip them) we wouldn’t recommend this particular one.  However, the video provides an excellent example of how not to do it!

Nowadays many people eat pancakes, doughnuts and pastries on Shrove Tuesday but have forgotten the significance of the day, which is believed to date back to around 1000 AD.  The original purpose was to use up all the rich foods in the house, such as sugar, eggs and fat prior to Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent and period of fasting.  The actual date of Shrove Tuesday changes each year depending on the date of Easter, so it is also known as a ‘moveable feast’.

A traditional pancake is thicker than a French-style crepe.  In the U.S. they may call them pancakes or flapjacks.   In Canada they probably prefer pancakes with maple syrup.  it doesn’t really matter whether you prefer your pancakes with fruit, syrup and whipped cream or with lemon juice and sugar, they are certainly very versatile and delicious. 

In the UK it used to be tradition to hold Pancake Day races to raise funds for charity.  However, this particular avenue of fun has been cut off in many places, for health and safety reasons.  Sack races and three-legged races have also been banned in many areas - just in case children fall and hurt themselves…

Travel has not been banned for health and safety reasons (yet) - and let’s hope that day never comes.  In the meantime, it’s still a good idea to take out travel insurance.  After all, you never known when a hot pancake might get shot down by a crazy Swedish chef and land on your head…

Wherever you are in the world on Tuesday, we wish you happy feasting and safe travels!