There are few culinary calendar events more exciting than Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday. That start-of-spring feeling, the smell of freshly made pancakes and zing of fresh lemons or a more creative topping of cream, bananas, or even chocolate!
What is Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday is celebrated across the world from Europe to South America, but where does it come from and why?
Pancakes themselves are an incredibly old food, with evidence for their creation dating back to Ancient Greece more than 2,000 years ago.
The tradition of having pancakes on Shrove Tuesday is much more popular in the UK than in most other countries around the world.
In Denmark, you might be used to eating lots of different cakes and bakes on the last Sunday before Lent. Whereas in Spain, they throw a carnival starting on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday called La Tortilla meaning “Day of the Omelette”.
The celebration itself lands on different days each year, sometimes it is in early February and dates for it range all the way to early March, this is because Pancake Day always takes place exactly 47 days before Easter.
Easter of course never falls on a set day and calculations for its date go all the way back to the Roman Empire when a council of special Bishops decided Easter would fall on the first Sunday following the full moon which occurs after the spring equinox.
This confusing method was simplified to be the Sunday following the first full moon which comes after March 21st.
Pancake Day is more traditionally known as Shrove Tuesday in England, the day when Christians went to confess their sins to prepare for Lent.
During Lent, which marks the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, it is typical to fast and so Shrove Tuesday is the last day Christians can eat what they want.
This means perishable ingredients, like eggs and milk, had to be used up and so people made pancakes with them.
It is believed the tradition of eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday dates back to the 16th Century in England but the tradition of marking the start of lent is recorded in England all the way back to 1000 CE.
If you’re looking for pancake inspiration, see our Facebook page for a great Pink Pancake idea from Ben and his wife!