Shrove Tuesday is a time to get ready for Lent but there is a flip-side to this day – especially if you’re a lover of cakes cooked in frying pans!

[Pancakes: why we love Shrove Tuesday. Picture by Magnus D]

Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday, Jif Lemon Day, call it what you will. For kids all over the UK, this one day in February is all about the fun of making and eating pancakes.

The messy, playful element of making pancakes is what makes their preparation such a delight, especially after a hard day spent following rules at school. You can’t make a pancake without breaking a few eggs, as they say!

As flipping a pancake is such a fun activity it seems strange that we don’t make these savoury - or sweet - delights all-year round. So why is Shrove Tuesday, rather than any other day, so closely associated with pancakes? Read on to find out…

Shrove Tuesday and Lent

Shrove Tuesday is an established part of the Christian calendar, and the day which marks the eve of Lent. Lent is a time when some Christians embark on 40 days and nights of prayer and fasting in the run up to Easter.

Fasting does not always mean going completely without food, it can just mean denying yourself unhealthy or ‘sinfully’ tasty food. Eggs and butter were often on the church’s blacklist of forbidden foods during these 40 days; a shame for pancake lovers as these (together with flour and sugar) are the pancake’s key ingredients.

Cupboard clear-outs

While clearing out cupboards before Lent, people were keen to use up these food staples before they went off, hence Shrove Tuesday provided the perfect excuse for one last pancake feast.

It was also tradition to confess your sins before Lent, a way of wiping the slate clean before 40 days of holy living.

Getting to the church on time

An old Buckinghamshire folk tale tells the story of a housewife from Olney who lost track of time while cooking pancakes and ended up rushing to church to confess her sins while clutching a frying pan in her hand.

While the tradition of Shrove Tuesday confessions in church has become less popular, the annual pancake race which has been run in Olney each year since 1445 has become increasing popular.

Many other pancake races have sprung up around the UK as a result of the mysterious Olney lady’s dash to church. Tossing a pancake a set number of times while running to the finishing line is no easy task, especially for male competitors who are often obliged to race while dressed in a skirt and apron.

Fat Tuesday

Word of the fun Brits were having on Shrove Tuesday soon spread and other countries have come up with their own Pancake Day traditions. While the British named Shrove Tuesday after the word Shrive (meaning confession), the people of New Orleans have taken a more direct approach to naming the day – they just call it Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras).

Adults in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador like to place common household objects in their pancakes for children to discover when they tuck into their Shrove Tuesday dessert.

These items, if you don’t choke on them, are supposed to predict your future. For instance, if you find a coin in your pancake you will become wealthy; if you find a button you might marry a clothes designer.

But be warned - it’s best not to try this tradition at home without adult supervision!

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/dont_miss/shrove_tuesday/dean_gould.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday