Pancake Days Around The World
Just when those post Christmas diets are starting to have some effect, Shrove Tuesday comes and rears its sugary head. But why do we do it? Traditionally, pancakes were made on this day to use up our stores of rich foodstuffs such as sugars, flours and eggs, to pave the way for forty days of ritual fasting in recognition of Lent and in the run up to the gorging offered over Easter. Though these days, for some anyway, it’s more likely to spur on a week of pancakes in remembrance of how wonderful they taste!
This year why not make a Smiley pancake, take a picture and enter it into our Snap Smiley competition to WIN a holiday to Tenerife?! Just upload your Smiley pancake pictures to our Facebook photo contest.
Here in England we like ours thin, not too dissimilar to the French Crepe and we love it with lashings upon lashings of golden syrup or sugar and lemon. Though not satisfied with merely eating the pancakes, there are also pancake races where competitors race to the finish line while tossing a pancake in a frying pan - some do it in fancy dress, while others keep it simple as not to deter from the eating ceremony later on.
In America the pancake is much more popular, with pancakes served 365 days a year at breakfast. Here the pancakes are thick and fluffy, piled up high and drizzled with heaps of Maple syrup and a whole load of other delicious toppings. Blueberries are one of the more popular toppings here and they make for a perfect combination and indeed one of the most popular breakfasts in the States! Don’t miss the Mardi Gras in Mobile which has evolved from a day of celebrations before Lent to days of parades and masked parties, a perfect example of America’s vast street celebrations.
The Crepe is one of France’s most loved food exports. They are very thin in comparison to the American pancake and are fantastic with either a sweet or savoury filling. A nice traditional way to eat pancake in France is to serve them with cider but as most would attest, they are divine with strawberries and whipped cream. The French equivalent to pancake day ‘jour des crepes’ has similar origins to Shrove Tuesday but comes with some additions, like the eating of pancakes to ensure a healthy crop for the following year.
Perhaps a less likely culprit in the pancake world is the Dosa, a wonderful savoury pancake originating from southern India. This version is slightly different to what you might be used to and is made from a mix of rice and urad dal. They are typically stuffed with a variety of fillings including vegetables and sauces and are often served with curries. If you’re a fan of Indian food then you’ll know that Indian breads, including crepes and flatbreads are integral to the cuisine and that they are mouthwatering especially when mixed with chutneys and pickles.
This brings us to China. There are quite a few Chinese recipes that contain a pancake in some form or another and like many variations, they are available as both sweet and savoury meals, sides or desserts. Moo Shu is quite literally Pork wrapped in a wheat flour pancake, whereas Popiah is similar to a spring roll but wrapped in a wheat flour, crepe like pancake. A popular pancake in China is the green onion pancake which is made from a mix of dough and green onions.So now you know the choices, it’s time to start eating! Start in England on Shrove Tuesday, the 21st of February this year, and make your way around the world for an unforgettable trip that you and your taste buds will never forget!
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