Celebrate Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday with this delicious Irish pancake recipe

The day before Ash Wednesday splash out and dig into some crepe-like Irish pancakes

The day before Ash Wednesday is known by many names: Mardi Gras, Carnival, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, and Pancake Day.

As we turn to the penitential season of Lent, we enjoy one last day of feasting. On this day, medieval Christians used up their eggs, butter, and milk--all of which were forbidden during Lent--by making pancakes and pastries.

Pancake Day is also known as Shrove Tuesday in Britain. Pancake Day is the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. 'Shrove' - as in Shrove Tuesday - stems from old English word 'shrive', meaning 'confess all sins'. It is called Pancake Day because it is the day traditionally for eating pancakes as pancake recipes were a way to use up any stocks of milk, butter and eggs which were forbidden during the abstinence of Lent.

More delicious Irish recipes here

The earliest records of pancakes and pancake tossing appeared in the fifteenth century when the pancakes were a little thicker than the modern pancake; they would also often have added spices for a little decadence. It wasn’t until the eighteenth century and the influence of French cooking and their thin crepes that pancakes more as we know them now.

 ‘Shroving’ was a custom in which children sang or recited poetry in exchange for food or money. ‘Lent Crocking’ was one of the many customs of the day when children would pass from house to house asking for pancakes. If they weren't given any broken crockery would be thrown at the door!

Other customs and superstitions included the belief that the first three pancakes cooked were sacred. Each would be marked with a cross, and then sprinkled with salt to ward off evil spirits, and then set aside. Hence the hot crossed buns we remember as kids.

In Ireland, Irish girls were given an afternoon off to make their batter and the eldest, unmarried girl would toss the first pancake. Success meant she would be married within the year.

In Scotland, special oatcakes called Bannocks were made using oatmeal, eggs and salt and cooked on a griddle. A charm would be added to the dough and if an unmarried person found it, would be married within the year.

Wales also had their own customs where people would pass from door to door begging for flour, lard or butter. In some parts of Wales children would kick tin cans up and down the streets, believed to be commemorating the putting away the pots and pans for Lent.

In other parts of the world, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated differently In New Orleans it's celebrated with the Mardi Gras carnival, and in Rio de Janeiro with the equally raucous carnival. I bet they aren’t scared of a few football fans on a bus!

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PANCAKES RECIPE

Ingredients:

8oz all purpose/plain flour
Pinch salt
2 eggs
2½ cups milk
2 tsp melted butter plus melted butter for cooking

Method:

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