Pancake Tuesday
Blueberry and Cinnamon Pancakes
We’re celebrating Pancake Tuesday today in Ireland- a day when we all go mad for pancakes.
I could go mad for pancakes any day of the week and I make them often for breakfast. I like to add antioxidant rich blueberries and some banana to my batter with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
There are so many toppings people enjoy – nutella seems a real winner judging by people’s tweets today. When we were small my mother made the traditional thin crepe pancakes with a topping of lemon, sugar and butter. I can still taste them today.
My mother always called today Shrove Tuesday – I wonder if anyone still calls it that these days? The word shrove is the past tense of the English verb shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of confession and doing penance. The celebratory aspect of the day was associated with releasing high spirits before the somber season of Lent. The tradition of making pancakes on this day comes from the tradition of a last feast with ingredients such as sugar, fat and eggs, whose consumption was traditionally restricted during the ritual fasting associated with Lent.
Now back to the pancakes…
What are your favourite ways to serve and eat pancakes? Have you any tips on how you can you make your pancakes healthier?
Yum. I love pancakes too. I guess the best thing to do to make them healthier is to use low fat or soya/oat milk?
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Ooooh, I love your description. I wish the US had a pancake day! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
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Well it goes back to old religious tradition of using up all the goodies on the eve of Lent – we aren’t a traditional society so much anymore Beth, but we have held onto this particular tradition 🙂
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This is one day that the Irish look forward to every year. Everyone is talking about them and what topping to use. In my childrens national school they made pancakes for the children. Alot different to when I was at school! Nnow they make pancakes themselves.
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That’s a lot different for sure – I would have loved that..back in the day 😉
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We still call today Fat Tuesday — but we don’t make pancakes. I have never heard of that before. Love it!
Peanut butter and bananas are good with waffles, so I imagine that would make a tasty pancake too! Honey and bananas are also good. I also dig strawberries and whipped cream!
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Peanut butter and banana pancakes – well I never! I am getting lots of great new suggestions to get me out of my panckake rut 😉
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My mother also called this day Shrove Tuesday. I’m sure she got that term from her mother, who got it from hers.Thanks for the sweet memory.
Pumpkin pancakes top my list of favorite breakfasts, even though pumpkins don’t come to mind until October. To make them, mix some pumpkin pulp into the regular pancake batter as well as some pumpkin pie spice for a taste of autumn in February. XOXO
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That sounds so wonderful Jan – it’s a new one on me – thanks for the share – would love to try it sometime.
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I pretend pancakes don’t exist except in fairy tales. It’s a self discipline mechanism to keep me from eating the butter, syrup, Nutella (oh my stars, that sounds heavenly) that goes with them. I might as well smear all those calories directly onto my thighs. Pumpkin pancakes? Oh dear, I must go now before I lose all willpower.
XOXOXO,
Brenda
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🙂 aw Brenda you did make me smile 🙂
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I still call it Shrove Tuesday! Got it from my mother of course 🙂
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YUM! YUM! Pancakes…my favorite way to eat them is with homemade carmel syrup! Good thing I only indulge once or twice a year! Thanks for sharing this tradition.
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Oh Yum indeed!
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I recently found a great gluten-free crepe recipe in a cookbook called “Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free: 75 recipes. . .” It’s so nice to find And now I can have my crepes again. Lemon and sugar is my personal favourite, but a few dashes of cinnamon sound lovely.
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And cinnamon is good for you too Catherine 🙂
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In Newfoundland we have a very strong Irish heritage. We still have Pancake Day on the day before Ash Wednesday. I don’t know if we got this tradition from Ireland, but we put “surprises” in the pancakes for the kids to find. If you find a coin, for example, it means you will be rich, a nail means you will be a carpenter, etc.
Cancer Warrior
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Oh how wonderful! I never heard of this tradition..so it is one that belongs all to Newfoundland, as we don’t do that here in Ireland. It’s lovely to hear about our shared Irish heritage 🙂
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Ooh…so jealous you have pancake day. I have found a fabulous no dairy/no gluten recipe made with almond butter, pumpkin puree and egg. I know it sounds absurd, but they are amazing!
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Ooh that sounds so interesting Tory..I am intrigued now…
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