Today is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day.
Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and is therefore the final day before the beginning of Lent, a Christian festival leading up to Easter Sunday.
It is traditional that people in the UK eat pancakes, toss pancakes or participate in pancake races.
The origins of eating pancakes started with Christians who observed Lent and wanted to use up all the rich foods in their cupboards before it.
During Lent, eggs, sugar and butter were not allowed so these
ingredients were used to make pancakes.
Today everyone celebrates Pancake Day regardless of religion.
As you can see in the photograph, an English pancake is a thin, flat cake made of butter and fried in a frying pan. In films you can see that it is normally served from the frying pan.
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Caster sugar (superfine sugar) is sprinkled over the top
and a dash of fresh lemon juice added. The pancake is then rolled. Some
people put golden syrup or jam on their pancakes.
Click here for the recipe.
Pancake races are held all over England. The object of the race is to
get to the finishing line first while flipping a pancake in a frying
pan a pre-decided number of times. The skill lies not so much in the
running of the race but in flipping and catching the pancake, which must
be intact when the finishing line is reached.
The most famous pancake race takes place at Olney.
According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell
while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still
clutching her frying pan.
The Olney pancake race is now world famous. Competitors
have to be local housewives and they must wear an apron and a hat or
scarf.
Each contestant has a frying pan containing a hot,
cooking pancake. She must toss it three times during the race that
starts at the market square at 11.55 am. The first woman to complete the 375-metre course (the record is 63 seconds set in 1967) and
arrive at the church, serve her pancake to the bell ringer, and be
kissed by him, is the winner. She also receives a prayer book from the
vicar.
The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess.
On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their
sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.
Whether you are Christian or not, don't miss the opportunity to taste a pancake. So, indulge yourselves!!!
Oh! Pancakes!! I've just remembered the first time I teasted them. It was in Chulavista (CA) me and my american family went to a kind of restaurant for have breakfast they brought the "menu" of breakfast and I ordered the one which had milk but I didn't realize about the rest. When i saw the waiter with a cup of milk, a plate with five sausages, and some bacon, another plate with about ten pancakes and a type of glass with a sort of honney I couldn't believe that all was for me. Obviusly I eat a bit of everything but not all.
ResponderEliminarMy mom has tried to bake them but is not the same.
So if one of you get the same taste please tell me.
Imagining your face and your open mouth when you saw all that amount of food makes me frighten. It's impossible to eat all that food for breakfast. But I'm sure you enjoy it!!!
EliminarBritish people have crazy and odd festivals but nobody can say that they are a bored nation because they have a strage way to enjoy their free time.for example I remenber a fool football match where all things are allowed and they play this game into the mud
Eliminaror another crazy game is people on the top of the hill and the winer is the first person who arrive to the bottom sometimes this person is damaged but it isn't important
But I don't know and I think that it is less dangerous and you can try some delicious pancakes
I usually participate in running races but I didn´t know about this strange discipline. I´m not very enthusiastic about English food but I recognize that these pancake looks delicious althuought I am sure that Marisa´s cakes are better. Well, I´am going to dinner... I´m hungry.
ResponderEliminarYeah, I'm also going to have dinner in a few minutes. To tell you the truth, I'm really hungry today and to make matters worse, we are talking about food. Well, I have to remind you that Marisa is a very good cook. Some of us could taste a delicious carrot cake on a Friday afternoon, but I'm afraid you didn't attend school that day. It's a pity you didn't taste it, maybe another time. Marisa, do you think it would be possible to taste a cake of yours? ;-)
EliminarI agree. Marisa. could you make another cake for us next Friday class? Your cakes are the best in the world! In other order of things, I've never tasted pancakes, but I'm sure that this kind of sweet food is delicious. And about the race? Ufff... As Obelix would said, this English people are crazy!
ResponderEliminarI´ve never tasted pancakes,but I would like.I´m a sweety person.
ResponderEliminarI´ve watched the famous race that Marisa has told about.People go down a rolling hill about themselves.
It´s amazing how damage they can finish this competition.But,they enjoy with uncommon competitions for us.
Every country has different costumes and other´s countries traditions could be strange.