SilverHeels
02-28-2006, 07:36 AM
Today is Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Tuesday! I would imagine pancakes are pretty much the same globally but the Brit version is listed below. We shall be having pancakes - modified for those of us who have digestive probs - later.
The tradition goes back to when Shrove Tuesday was considered the last day of 'Carnival' and all fats had to be eaten before Lent - thus fats, eggs and milk were made into pancakes because they would go bad before the end of Lent.
:D The French call it Mardi Gras but what do they know! LOL
Anyway, Happy Pancake Tossing Day, guys!
British pancakes have three key ingredients: plain flour, eggs and milk. The batter is quite runny and forms a thin layer on the bottom of the frying pan when the pan is tilted. It may form some bubbles during cooking, which result in a pale pancake with dark spots where the bubbles were, but the pancake does not rise. These pancakes may be eaten sweet with the traditional topping of lemon juice and sugar, or wrapped around savoury stuffings and eaten as a main course. When baked instead of fried, this batter rises (depite having no raising agents – it rises because the air beaten into the batter expands) and is known as Yorkshire pudding. British pancakes are similar to the French crępes, and Italian crespelle, but are not "lacy" in appearance. However, in Scotland pancakes, known as Scotch pancakes or drop scones in the rest of Britain, are more like the American variation and are served as such.
:D
The tradition goes back to when Shrove Tuesday was considered the last day of 'Carnival' and all fats had to be eaten before Lent - thus fats, eggs and milk were made into pancakes because they would go bad before the end of Lent.
:D The French call it Mardi Gras but what do they know! LOL
Anyway, Happy Pancake Tossing Day, guys!
British pancakes have three key ingredients: plain flour, eggs and milk. The batter is quite runny and forms a thin layer on the bottom of the frying pan when the pan is tilted. It may form some bubbles during cooking, which result in a pale pancake with dark spots where the bubbles were, but the pancake does not rise. These pancakes may be eaten sweet with the traditional topping of lemon juice and sugar, or wrapped around savoury stuffings and eaten as a main course. When baked instead of fried, this batter rises (depite having no raising agents – it rises because the air beaten into the batter expands) and is known as Yorkshire pudding. British pancakes are similar to the French crępes, and Italian crespelle, but are not "lacy" in appearance. However, in Scotland pancakes, known as Scotch pancakes or drop scones in the rest of Britain, are more like the American variation and are served as such.
:D