The ***OFFICIAL*** Weekend Singles'Thread-Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day(February 16th - 18th, 2007)

http://www.recipezaar.com/172501 ^ | 16th February 2007 | Snugs

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Shrove Tuesday is the term used in United Kingdom,, Ireland, and Australia to refer to the day after Collop Monday and before Ash Wednesday (the liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday). In these countries, this day is also known as Pancake Day, because it is customary to eat pancakes on this day.

The reason that pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent is that it was the start of the traditional 40 days of Lent liturgical fasting, during which only the plainest foodstuffs were eaten. Therefore, rich ingredients such as eggs, milk, sugar and flour are disposed of immediately prior to the commencement of the fast. Pancakes were therefore the perfect way of using up these perishable goods, besides providing a minor celebratory feast prior to the fast itself . Though the Church of England celebrates Lent and often has lent services etc actual 40 days of fasting is not usually practised nowadays.

The word shrove is a past tense of the English verb "shrive," which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by confessing and doing penance. Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the shriving (confession) that Anglo-Saxon Christians were expected to receive immediately before Lent.

Shrove Tuesday is the last day of "shrovetide," which is the English equivalent to the Carnival tradition that developed separately out of the countries of Latin Europe. In countries of the Carnival tradition, the day before Ash Wednesday is known either as the "Tuesday of Carnival" (in Spanish-speaking countries, "Martes de Carnaval," in Portuguese-speaking countries, "Terça-feira de Carnaval" or "Terça feita gorda") or "Fat Tuesday" (in French-speaking countries, "Mardi Gras," in Italian-speaking countries, "Martedì Grasso").

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English Pancakes are not the same as American ones they are larger, thinner and do not contain sugar. And of course they need to be tossed especially if you are competing in a pancake race. When I was at school on Shrove Tuesday we always had pancake races on the school field sometimes with plastics pancakes LOL.

2-4 servings
8 pancakes
1 cup flour
1 pinch salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon oil

Sift flour into a bowl.
Add salt and stir with a hand whisk.
Add egg and slowly add milk while stirring.
(batter will be more runnier than American pancakes).
Refrigerate for an hour.
Put a little oil in a medium sized frying pan and warm over medium heat, after coating bottom of frying pan, pour out extra oil.

Pour 1/4 of a cup of batter in the pan and tilt so the batter covers the bottom of the pan.

Flip pancakes after about 1 1/2 minutes.

Repeat steps 4-6 until batter is gone.

Serve with lemon and sugar, fruit, or Lyle's golden syrup.

Pancake Races
On Pancake Day, pancake races are held in villages and towns across Britain. In 1634 William Fennor wrote in his Palinodia:

And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne."

But the tradition of pancake racing had started long before that. The most famous pancake race, at Olney in Buckinghamshire, has been held since 1445. The contestants, traditionally women, carry a frying pan (skillet) and race to the finishing line tossing the pancakes as they go. As the pancakes are thin, some skill is required to toss them successfully while running. The winner is the first to cross the line having tossed the pancake a certain number of times.

The tradition is said to have originated when a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes, that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house to church while still carrying her frying pan and pancake.

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[Kate of Spice Island]

Howdy!

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Hi Kate - how is life treating you?

[mware]

[protest1]

I do know what you are talking about but this seemed a good excuse to post this picture!

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My goodness that that looks rich and why is there lettuce with pancakes ?

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LOL

[mware]

My goodness that that looks rich and why is there lettuce with pancakes

I dont know, must be one of those french things.

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Never particularly like French crepes they taste sort wheatie to me I prefer British or American pancakes myself.

[protest1]

I don't know if it is a Scottish or not but the ones I occasionally make are the "fatter" kind, like the one the bunny is wearing!

I like them hot with butter melting over them, or Lyle's Golden Syrup and a cup of coffee, yummm......

[ilovew]

Hello, people. :)

[SuzyQue]

I'm making buckwheat pancakes with honey for Tuesday.

[protest1]

Lyle's Golden Syrup

"Out of the strong came forth sweetness"

[mware]

You mean something like this???

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Yes in England we refer to them as Scottish pancakes or drop scones and we normally eat those cold and butter or with a little golden syrup on them.

Often when making them they also have some sugar in them I will find my mum's old recipe from a 1930s cookery book.

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I like them hot but so many people now buy them ready made that they are usually ate cold but here is the recipe from my mother's cookery book.

4oz flour
One level teaspoonful cream of tartar
1/2 level teaspoonful bi-carb of soda (baking soda)
Milk (sour if possible)
1 oz sugar
One egg
Inch of salt

Method
Sieve together the flour and salt into a basin, add the beaten egg, and enough milk to make a stiff batter. Add the sugar, beat well, and let the mixture stand for half an hour. Stir in the soda and cream of tartar. Heat a girdle plate ( or griddle) and drop the mixture a spoonful at a time, on to a lightly greased surface; cook 3 - 5 minutes turning once.

NB The girdle should be lightly greased between each lot of bakings. If no girdle is available a thick frying pan maybe used.

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Yes that is what I think of as American pancakes which are similar to our Scottish Pancakes (drop scones) but lighter and fluffier.

[protest1]

Hello ilovew :)

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I have just re read my post and I said an inch not a pinch of salt LOL.