When your local church offers a pancake supper on Feb. 28, you might not link it with the drunken revelry of Mardi Gras. But the traditions stem from the same source, says a Duke University expert on the history of English food.
Pancake Day -- also known as Carnival, Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday -- is considered a day of indulgence before the 40 days of deprivation during Lent, said Kelly A. Amienne, a visiting instructor in the Duke English Department who specializes in the intersection of food and class in British literature.
Under the name Anne Bramley, Amienne also produces "Eat Feed," a podcast about food.
In the middle ages, foods such as cream, butter and eggs were called "whitemeats" and were forbidden (as was regular meat) during Lent, Amienne said.
"Pancakes are the perfect way to use up butter, eggs and cream," Amienne said. "Later, they were allowed during Lent, but people continued to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday."
English pancakes are more similar to French crepes than to American flapjacks, and generally are made with eggs and cream with no leavening and little or no flour.
Often the pancakes are served with sausages, which also are forbidden during the Lenten period, she said.
Shrove Tuesday -- so called because it is the day before you "become shriven," or get absolution --- in the 16th and 17th centuries became associated with the young men who were apprentices in the trade guilds in England and who ran wild in the brothels and theaters, she said.
Today, Pancake Day is famous in England for the pancake race in the town of Olney. Women dressed in traditional garb run a course flipping pancakes in a skillet in a tradition they claim goes back to 1445. The town of Liberal, Kansas, also has adopted this tradition.
Even for those who don't observe Lent, eating foods rich in cream, butter and eggs still has a sinful quality.
"It's a day of indulgence," Amienne said. "Unleashed eating, unleashed behavior before you go into the 40 days of deprivation."
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Shrove Tuesday Pancakes
These pancakes are more like crªpes and less like American flapjacks because they have no leavening agent like baking powder. When it's not Shrove Tuesday, they also make an excellent light dessert with the traditional garnish of sugar and lemon.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
Serve with lemon wedges, granulated sugar, marmalade, jam or chocolate sauce.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk together until blended. Pour liquid into dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour in enough batter to create a wafer-thin, crªpe-like pancake, about 3 tablespoons. Don't expect a thick flapjack. Cook 1-2 minutes until beginning to brown. Flip over and cook another 1-2 minutes on the other side.
As you remove pancakes, either roll them like cigars and line up on a plate or dust with sugar and lie flat on top of each other. You can serve them as they come out of the pan or keep them warm in a low-temp oven (180°).
Serve warm with your favorite accompaniments. A dusting of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice makes for a traditional Shrove Tuesday pancake, but you can innovate to suit your taste.
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