Shrove Tuesday- The History of Pancake Day

Pancake day aka Shrove Tuesday is fast approaching and we cannot wait to try out some delicious sweet and savoury recipes on the 13th of February. Aside from enjoying tasty pancakes, there is an interesting history behind this celebration.

Why is it called Shrove Tuesday?

The word shrove comes from the word ‘shriven’ whereby Anglo-saxon Christians went to confession and were ‘shriven’ (saved from their sins). Shrove Tuesday is the traditional feast day, in the lead up to lent on Ash Wednesday, a bell would be rung to alert people to come to confession. This then got named the ‘pancake bell’ and is still rung today.

The date for Pancake Day varies from year to year as it always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday but always occurs between February 3 and March 9.

Shrove Tuesday was the last chance to use up eggs and fats from the household before starting the Lenten fast and pancakes were the ideal choice for using up all these ingredients. The traditional pancake is a thin, flat cake that is made of batter and fried in a frying pan. Traditional English pancakes are very thin and are served straight away. Golden syrup and lemon juice is used as well as caster sugar for a tasty, traditional taste.

How to Celebrate Pancake Day?

Celebrating Pancake Day is not only a delicious treat, but also great for bonding with family and friends.

Whether you’re a pancake pro or you’re just a beginner, pancakes are super easy and simple to make. Simply mix up a recipe consisting of flour, eggs, butter or oil, milk or water and a bit of sugar. If you want more of an American style pancake then using some baking powder will make your pancakes fluffier and thicker!

Once you have mixed together your ingredients, this can then be poured into small or large portions on your frying pan and flipped over until each side is lovely and golden!

Interesting Pancake Day Traditions

Pancake day come with all sorts of traditions that many different cultures, communities and families love to take part in. A few interesting Pancake traditions from other cultures are detailed below:

• In Ireland, it was a tradition that the Irish girls were given the afternoon off work and the oldest, unmarried girl of the family would toss the first pancake. If she was successful in flipping it, it meant she would be married that year
• In Lithuania, people celebrating on this day will dress up in fancy dress, play pranks, sing and dance. The day is full of fun and humour, superstitions and plenty of food, often celebrated in public squares, large parks and family homes.
• Pancake flipping contests and races take place in England where people compete in races where they run whilst flipping their pancakes!
• Canadians have been known to add small objects to their pancake mix. These include objects such as coins, buttons, rings or string and each item has been said to have its own special meaning. It is believed that whoever finds a shiny coin in their pancake will be rich, however the person who bites down on a button will work for the rest of their life.

Discover delicous pancake day essentials such as Pancake mix, Lemon Juice, Cooking equipment and more, here.