Stuff Valentine's. Here's a much better Western festival to celebrate this month

Pancake Day. 

OK, this is a Christian festival, but anyone can enjoy it (except, possibly, vegans - sorry). This is the day when you can literally celebrate by making and eating pancakes. Hurrah! 

I know, that's bad, isn't it? Pancake Day (real name: Shrove Tuesday) is a religious festival. And actually - even though I am very lapsed and almost agnostic - I don't forget that aspect. But last year I celebrated it with people who were Shinto and Buddhist, and - a bit like aspects of Christmas - it's sometimes nice to share :) 

So, here's something to think about for 28th February...

The Real Shrove Tuesday
Is the day before the start of Lent. In the Christian calendar, Lent is the forty-odd days leading up to Easter, and during this time committed Christians are usually expected to give up something they like but don't need. For some strict groups, Lent is a month of fasting. Generally, observing abstinence from foods is often accompanied by more time in prayer and a common paring back of all excess. The aim is to think more about the things one needs to repent for (and in fact the term 'shrove' comes from an old word meaning 'absolve'). In the UK today there are many different kinds of Christianity, but usually religious types would opt for giving up something like chocolate, alcohol, or clothes-shopping - or other enjoyable luxuries.

But before the days of Cadbury's and shopping malls, the English tradition was to give up rich, yummy things like fat, milk, sugar and eggs. 

So on the day before Lent, all these luxury foods would be used up from the kitchen. And one nice thing you can make using milk, sugar and eggs (fried in fat)? Pancakes! And why not share them with friends, in a convivial atmosphere (maybe while conducting a crazy 'pancake tossing'* game)?

Shrove Tuesday is a kind of 'last blowout' before the abstinence of Lent. In fact in other countries they have carnival celebrations on the day for the same reason (the carnival term mardi gras is French for 'fat Tuesday'!) 

Pancakes: the truth laid bare
Pancakes, as British people know them, are not thick, fluffy things with blueberries a la USA. English pancakes are wafer-thin, and either rolled or folded around their fillings (usually lemon juice and sugar for Shrove Tuesday - but anything goes!) These are known in other parts of the world as 'crepes' - after French crepes. But we make them in the UK too. (There are actually regional variations like the smaller and thicker Scotch Pancakes - but for the purposes of Pancake Day and pancake tossing - the crepe is your guy.) 

Here's a recipe for English-style 'crepe' pancakes. Even my friend's 9 year old daughter can make really good versions of these!  
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2907669/easy-pancakes

Happy eating. 

*Pancake tossing is literally tossing the crepe up in the air, to turn it over in the frying pan. 

Oh, and here's an episode about Lent from the beloved and slightly irreverent UK comedy show, Father Ted: 

 

Pancake image: sharingourfoodadventures.com