Pancake Tuesday

I know I've done my bit on Fat Tuesday in my last post, but there is one interesting derivation of celebration that I came across a few years back.


PANCAKE TUESDAY (alternatively known as Shrove Tuesday)


The origins of the name (shrove) comes from old English term, shrive, which means to confess all sins and to be absolved of them. That makes some sense historically for the start of a celebration like Lent. Before the fasting begins, set down what you are at fault for and need to right. So...Yeah...Not as much fun to think about or get into as Carnival or Mardi Gras.

But what about the pancakes, you're thinking about and salivating over.

Well, as I noted in the previous post, Mardi Gras is the french for Fat Tuesday, meaning eating up fatty foods before fasting. Pancakes tie into this. To make pancakes you need milk, eggs, sugar, and butter. All perishables that were banned in many places during the Lent of olden days. So people would use these items to produce a supply of batter and make pancakes. Lots of pancakes. Again, not really the same as parades, drinking, dancing, music, etc. But it can be a far tamer takeit has persisted. Still to this day some make an effort to have pancake meals, keeping the tradition alive.