Perfect Pancakes
Mix a pancake
Stir a pancake
Pop it in the pan
Fry the pancake
Toss the pancake
Catch it if you can!
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)
Why Do We Eat Pancakes On Shrove Tuesday?
This year, Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday falls on 16th February
and many of us will make and eat delicious pancakes without knowing why this
day is celebrated.
Shrove Tuesday is the day preceding Lent which starts on Ash Wednesday. Lent is associated with the forty days and nights Jesus spent in the wilderness and is a period when Christians forgo certain indulgences for forty days. Years ago, Christians were forbidden to eat any food derived from living creatures, so meat, dairy products and eggs were off the menu. Therefore, Shrove Tuesday became the day in which people made pancakes to use up their supplies of eggs, milk and butter and as a treat before the fast.
On Shrove Tuesday, Christians went to church to confess their sins
before the approaching period of repentance and inner reflection and were
‘shriven’, or absolved from their sins. Over the years, ‘shriven’ evolved into
‘shrove’ and so the day got its name. The origin of the name pancakes is
straightforward – they are cakes made in a pan.
Many towns and villages hold annual pancake races. These apparently
originate from Olney in Buckinghamshire with the first race being held in 1445.
Legend has it that this tradition started the previous year when a busy woman
lost track of the time so when she heard the shriving bell summoning her to
church, ran down the street still clutching her frying pan.
Pancakes in one variety or another are eaten all over the world.
The French name for Shrove Tuesday is Mardi Gras, which means ‘fat Tuesday’ and
enjoy their crêpes; Russian blinis, Mexican tortillas, and Ethiopian injeras
are all forms of the same basic recipe.
The secret to fabulous pancakes is in the mixing, so use a food
processor or a lot of arm power. To make pancakes, thoroughly mix together 100g
plain flour, 1 egg and 150ml milk. When this is fully mixed, add another 150mls
milk and whisk again. When there are lots of bubbles on the surface of the
batter leave it to rest for at least half an hour in the ‘fridge before frying
it. Depending on the size of your pan, this should make around 8 pancakes, so
increase the ingredients as required.
Making pancakes is easy but flipping them is a skill not everyone
possesses and while it isn’t compulsory, it is fun to try. When it comes to
tossing the pancake, tips include flipping it as quickly as possible, waiting
for the surface to solidify and for bubbles to form around the edge before
attempting the manoeuvre and of course, making sure the pancake moves freely
around the pan when you shake it gently. Practice makes perfect and you can
always eat the spoiled ones, as long as they don’t fall on the floor.
How to serve them is entirely up to you. A traditional topping is sugar and lemon juice, but their versatility lends them to countless other additions both sweet and savoury. Why not try jam, melted chocolate, fruit, ice-cream or cheese and bacon.
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