Welcome to Celtnet's Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) Recipes Page — This page details the various recipes used all over the world to celebrate Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday, the last day before Lent in the Christian calendar. Shrove Tuesday was the last day where regular eating was possible before the fasting period of lent. As a result, surpluses of eggs, fat and flour (or any rich foods) were used up on this day. This led to celebrations on Shrove Tuesday, which in the UK is celebrated as Pancake Day.

Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day) is the final day of Shrovetide, marking the end of pre-Lent. Lent begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession; the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms; finalising one's Lenten sacrifice; as well as eating pancakes and other sweets.

As this is the last day of the Christian liturgical season historically known as Carnival or Shrovetide, before the penitential season of Lent, related popular practices, such as indulging in food that one might give up as their Lenten sacrifice for the upcoming forty days, are associated with Shrove Tuesday celebrations. The term Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday. In those Christian countries where the day is called Mardi Gras or a translation thereof, it is a carnival day, the last day of "fat eating" or "gorging" before the fasting period of Lent.

Below is a brief history of Shrove Tuesday as well as of the various foods used to celebrate this day around the world. There is also a list of links for recipes typically used to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, beginning with a listing of various pancakes.

History and Information about Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake day in many English-speaking countries represents the day before the first day of the traditional Christian season of fasting and prayer known as Lent.

Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday that lies seven weeks before Easter. Shrove Tuesday is the final day of the week before Lent, the week during which Christians were expected to go to confession in preparation for the penitential season of turning to God. Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Because the date of Shrove Tuesday moves with Easter, it can occur as early as the 3^rdth March.

The word Shrove in the day's title is the past tense form of the English verb to shrive, which means 'to attain absolution for one's sins'. This being achieved by way of confession and doing penance.

There is a celebratory aspect to Shrove Tuesday, which had developed long before the Protestant Reformation and was associated with releasing high spirits before the somber season of Lent. It was the last day in which foods with ingredients such as sugar, fat and eggs, whose consumption was traditionally restricted during the ritual fasting associated with Lent could be consumed.

As part of an older, pre-Christian, tradition, it was the day on which the final winter stores were consumed before the bounties of spring were harvested.

The tradition of eating rich foods grew into the production of pancakes (which contained eggs, cream and sometimes fruit and were cooked in lard) meant that the day became known as Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday for the traditional pancakes consumed.

Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: In many cultures, this means no meat, dairy, or eggs.

As part of the festivities of Pancake Tuesday, it was traditional to hold 'Mob Football' games where the men of one village would play against the next village. These are known from the 12th century, though they mostly died out during the 19th century. However, a number of English towns have maintained the tradition and these include Alnwick in Northumberland, Ashbourne in Derbyshire (called the Royal Shrovetide Football Match), Atherstone (called the Ball Game) in Warwickshire, Sedgefield (called the Ball Game) in County Durham, and St Columb Major (called Hurling the Silver Ball) in Cornwall.

The other tradition being the pancake race. The tradition is said to have originated when a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house to church while still carrying her frying pan and pancake. The pancake race remains a relatively common festive tradition in the United Kingdom, and England in particular, even today. Participants with frying pans race through the streets tossing pancakes into the air, catching them in the pan whilst running.

However, the tradition of the pancake race seems to have started long before that. Indeed, the most famous pancake race, that held at Olney in Buckinghamshire, has been held since 1445. The contestants, traditionally women, carry a frying pan and race to the finishing line while tossing the pancakes as they go. The winner is the first to cross the line having tossed the pancake a certain number of times. Traditionally, when men want to participate, they must dress up as a housewife (usually an apron and a bandanna).

Catholic countries typically call Shrove Tuedday Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). The name predated the Reformation and referred to the common Christian tradition of eating special rich foods before the fasting season of Lent. Other countries called it the Tuesday of Carnival, referring to the popular celebration of Carnival that became associated with the feasting.

For German American populations, such as Pennsylvania Dutch Country, it is known as Fastnacht Day (also spelled Fasnacht, Fausnacht, Fauschnaut, or Fosnacht). The Fastnacht is made from fried potato dough and served with dark corn syrup.

On the Portuguese island of Madeira they eat Malasadas on Terça-feira Gorda (Fat Tuesday) which is also the last day of the Carnival of Madeira. This tradition was taken to Hawaii, where Shrove Tuesday is known as Malasada Day, which dates back to the days of the sugar plantations of the 1800s, the resident Catholic Portuguese (mostly from Madeira and the Azores) workers used up butter and sugar prior to Lent by making large batches of malasadas.

In Iceland the day is known as Sprengidagur (Bursting Day) and is marked by eating salt meat and peas.

In Lithuania the day is called Užgavėnės. People eat pancakes (blynai) and Lithuanian-style doughnuts called spurgos.

In heavily Polish Catholic areas of the United States, such as Chicago and the Detroit suburb of Hamtramck, Michigan, Pączki Day is celebrated with pączki-eating contests, music and other Polish food. In Poland itself, this celebration falls on the Thursday which precedes Ash Wednesday and is called Fat Thursday.

Another traditional food for this season is a sweet fried dumpling called cenci, usually served in the shape of a loose knot.

In New Orleans and traditional French-speaking communities, such as Prairie du Rocher, Illinois the traditional food is King Cake and beignets.

In Estonia and Finland, the day is associated with hopes for the coming year. On this day, families go sledding and eat split pea and ham soup. A toy is made from the ham bone by tying the bone to a string and spinning it around to make a whistling noise.

In Germany, Austria and Slovenia, people traditionally eat rich pastries such as (in Germany and Austria) Berliner or Krapfen (doughnuts), or (in Slovenia) krof.

Below you will find recipes for all the dishes mentioned above, along with recipes for all kinds of pancakes and pancake variants.