Pancake Day 2021 – What’s the best recipe and why do we celebrate it?

It’s Pancake Day! Or Shrove Tuesday as it’s officially known, so it’s time to ditch the diet and gorge on a plate of pancakes for the day –  with lemon juice, Nutella, maple/golden syrup, strawberries or any other toppings you love…

To help get your celebrations down to a scrumptious start, we’ve got the lowdown on Shrove Tuesday and the perfect recipe to help get your celebrations down to a scrumptious start.

What is Pancake Day?

Shrove Tuesday always falls on the seventh week before Easter, and its date changes in accordance with whenever Easter falls that year.

Whether you find delight in crepe-style pancakes or you prefer the fluffy variations typically found in Scotland and the US, Pancake Day is an annual celebration enjoyed by many across the world in the lead up to the Christian festival of Easter.

The day proceeds Ash Wednesday, which is the start of when Christians celebrate Lent and typically fast from certain food or activities.



Traditionally, people would eat pancakes on this day to get rid of any fatty foods before the 40-day fasting season of Lent began.

What’s the best pancake mixture recipe?

There are numerous ways to make pancakes – after all, the day originates from using up what is left in your cupboard.

While you may be a fan of thicker, American style pancakes, or thin French type crepes, this traditional English pancake recipe is bound to win you over – and it’s super easy too.

You will need:

  • 125g of plain flour
  • 2 eggs, medium sized
  • 300ml of milk
  • Pinch of salt

Method

  • Beat the eggs together with a fork
  • Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt and make a well in the middle
  • Pour the eggs into the well and whisk together until smooth and there are no lumps
  • Gradually, add in the milk
  • Put the mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
  • Rub oil around a non-stick pan
  • Ladle out your mixture – one ladle equals one pancake
  • After a couple of minutes, give your pancake a jiggle and when it no longer sticks give it a flip to do the other side

Why do we celebrate Pancake Day?

Ever stopped to wonder to why eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?

Christian traditionally would give up certain foods for Lent, the 40-day period before Easter.

In order to eat up the last of the foods in the cupboard, they would use up all of their foods such as eggs and milk without them going off.

Only flour was added to the pancake recipe, with all four ingredients said to represent a different part of the Christian faith.

The eggs are said to symbolise creation, the flour as the main part of the human diet, salt for wholesomeness and milk to purity.

The name “shrove” comes from when Christians would traditionally go to confess and were “shriven” or cleansed of their sins.

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