Pancake Tuesday!

  Pancake Day Facts. Pancake Day is also known around the world as Shrove Tuesday. […]

 

Pancake Day Facts. Pancake Day is also known around the world as Shrove Tuesday.  It falls on the day before Ash Wednesday each year, the first day of Lent.

Fun Facts:

In the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Shrove Tuesday is often called Pancake Day or even Pancake Tuesday.
Mardi Gras is the French term for Fat Tuesday. It is tradition on this day to consume rich foods prior to the beginning of Lent the following day.

AFP PHOTO PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN

In Buckinghamshire, Britain, there has been a pancake race held every year since 1445. During the race women run 415 yards carrying a frying pan, tossing their pancake at the beginning and end of the race. They must be dressed in a scarf and apron, and men must dress the same if they want to participate.

Traditionally pancakes were consumed on Shrove Tuesday because it was a way to use up many of the ingredients people were not supposed to consume during Lent, including sugar, eggs, and milk. Lent is a 40 day period when people are not supposed to eat food that gives pleasure such as eggs, dairy, and meat.

Not all countries eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. In Finland they eat green pea soup and pastry. In Iceland they eat salted meat and peas.