Day 133 - Pancake Tuesday

I may be agnostic, but many people think I am a religious man ... I religiously enjoy a good English ale, Saturday afternoon U.S. college football and a long walk through any part of the U.K. So, today is no different as I celebrated the holy day of Pancake Tuesday with a stack of hotcakes prepared for me by the greatest cook I know, Angela. While I refused to allow any photographic evidence of my gluttonous pleasure, I did think that today's blog should look into the tradition of the day (thanks to an article by Ellen Castelow of Historic-UK.com).

I shouldn't make light of the actual religious significance of this day. As Shrove Tuesday, it is 47 days before Easter Sunday and falls before Ash Wednesday that marks the beginning of Lent and a period of fasting. Unfortunately my own religion doesn't allow me to fast, so I only celebrate this day. The term "Shrove" has been attributed to Anglo-Saxon Christians who were "shriven," which meant they were absolved of their sins. It is said that the bell that was rung to signal confession was called the "Pancake Bell" and that pancakes were the perfect food to use of the leftover eggs and fats before people would begin their Lenten fast. A traditional English pancake is pretty flat and is sweetened with golden syrup or sugared lemon juice. It has been around since the early 1400s and its ingredients represent four elements of life: eggs (fertility), flour (staff of life), salt (wholesomeness), milk (purity).  This mixture is then fried up in fat.

And today

As it was

A popular U.K. tradition on this day is the "Pancake Race" where fancy-dressed people race against each other while flipping pancakes.  In Buckinghamshire (a county to the east of where we are) there is a famous race run each year in the village of Olney, where it was said that in 1445 one of the women of the village heard the confessional bell while making pancakes and ran to church with the frying pan in hand. The present-day race is run by local housewives wearing scarves and aprons.

So there you go!  Now head down to your closest Golden Griddle, Frans or Cora's and have yourself a pancake.

Ale of the Day: Pit Stop Ale, Silverstone Brewery, Brackley, Northamptonshire