February 21—Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday/PancakeDay
Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fastnacht (German for “eve of fast”) and Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”), is the last day before Lent begins in the Christian calendar. The pancakes eaten are very thin and made from flour, eggs and milk. Various toppings can be eaten with them.
In the Cajun country of Louisiana, a rich chicken gumbo served over rice is the traditional Mardi Gras feast. For the Pennsylvania Dutch, Shrove Tuesday means Fastnacht kuche, a special, deep-fried doughnut baked and eaten only on this day. A similar deep-fried cake called Oliebollen is eaten in Holland, and jelly-filled buns called Paczki are made in Poland.
Maybe the best-known Shrove Tuesday food is pancakes, traditionally fried to use up all of the cooking fats which are forbidden during Lent.
My favourite topping on pancakes is freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar. What’s yours?
Comments
Post a Comment