PANCAKES

In the UK, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day because it is the one day of the year when almost everyone eats a pancake.  In Liverpool most people refer to it as ‘Pancake Tuesday’.

Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent.  Most families throughout Britain traditionally have fun making pancakes on this day. Tradition has them tossing the pancake high into the air to see if they can toss the pancake over and still catch it in a pan.

Lent, a Christian festival leads up to Easter Sunday. This is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance for a little self indulgence and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

So why call it Shrove Tuesday?

It seems that shrove drives from the word ‘Shrive’ which means to confess.  During the middle ages people would start to confess their sins.  Their belief was that they would be forgiven of their sins before the start of the lent season.

Did you know?

In some parts of the UK people take part in a pancake race!  People line up in a row and when the whistle blows they have to toss their pancake on the start line then run to the finishing line and toss their pancake again to prove they haven’t lost he pancake.  It is believed that this custom is from a legend dating back to 1445.  It is said that on Shrove Tuesday in 1445 one woman was still making pancakes as the church bells rang.  Rather than be late for church she took her frying pan and pancake with her.   Over the last few years the Houses of Parliament have ran their own pancake race raising money for charities.

What is a pancake? 

A delicious pancake

Pancakes are a thin batter made from flour, eggs and milk.  The batter is poured thinly into a hot shallow frying pan and quickly fried, part way through the cooking the pancake is tossed or flipped into the air and caught back in the pan, the reverse side up to aid the cooking on the flip side of the pancake. Once the pancake is cooked on both sides it is slid onto a plate and you layer the top with your favourite toppings.  You can either roll the pancake into a cigar shape or fold the pancake over.  They are so easy to make and only take a very short time to cook; the result is hopefully delicious pancakes.

Here’s just a few idea’s of the toppings you could try on your pancake:

·         Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) with sliced bananas

·         Fresh lemon juice squirted over the pancake and sprinkled with castor sugar

·         Lemon curd or jam

·         Strawberry and ice cream.

Some people prefer them as a savoury dish.  If you choose to do this do not include any sugar in the mixture.  They can be filled with almost anything, why not try shredded chicken with mushrooms and peppers or melted cheese and onion.

If you haven’t yet tried making a pancake or indeed tasted a pancake, why not try it out this pancake Tuesday?  Maybe you and a few friends could get together and try making pancakes; it can be fun trying it out.  Pancakes are relatively cheap to make. 

If you would like to try making your own pancakes why not try Delia Smith basic pancake recipe – here’s the link http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/desserts/pancakes

Here is a video of how to make the great British pancake too!

We would love to hear what your favourite toppings are or if you have taken any photographs it would be great to see how good you are at tossing your pancake.

Have fun!