Celebrated for centuries, Shrove Tuesday sees pancake pandemonium across the Emerald Isle.
A Flipping Great Day for the Irish
According to a 2017 survey by Irish sugar producers, Siúcra, irish people eat more than 12 million pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. The day marks a final indulgence before the forty days and nights of Lenten austerity commences with Ash Wednesday.
Rooted in the early middle ages, the tradition of making pancakes before Lent sprung out of the need to rid the household of forbidden items such as eggs, milk and butter before Lent. The word Shrove is linked to this, as it is the past tense of the word Shrive – an old term for absolve.
Love in the Time of Shrovetide
For many unlucky ladies in love Shrove Tuesday was particularly important festival. Traditionally, the honor of tossing the first pancake fell to the eldest unmarried daughter. If she managed to achieve a perfect flip she would be lucky enough to have her “pick of the boys” for the year ahead. If, on the other hand, the pancake falls to the floor or is in the slightest way spoiled then she will not marry for a year at the very least…
A Quick & Simple Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
- 125g/4oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 Egg
- 300ml/½pt Milk
- Oil for frying
Method
- Sieve flour and salt into a bowl.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour, add the egg and pour in a third of the milk.
- Mix well while gradually pouring in the rest of the milk. Draw in the flour to make a smooth batter.
- Pour batter into a jug and stand for a half hour.
- Oil your frying pan and wait until it is the pan is hot. Quickly stir the batter then pour a thin layer onto the pan.
- Fry until golden brown. Flip and fry the other side until brown also.
- Stack pancakes on a large plate, as they are cooked.
- Serve with a topping of your choice! Our favorite is lemon and sugar!!
Enjoy the Perfect Hot Brew With Your Pancakes!
Header Image: By Michael Stern (Wall_Food_10060) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
