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Shrove Tuesday


Heather

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Growing up, we always had pancakes for supper on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, either at home or at church; Episcopal churches will often hold pancakes suppers as youth group fundraisers. I'd never heard of "Mardi Gras" until I was in my teens.

Here's the Wikipedia entry for Shrove Tuesday.

The reason that pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent is that the 40 days of Lent form a period of liturgical fasting, during which only the plainest foodstuffs can be eaten. Therefore, rich ingredients such as eggs, milk, sugar and flour are disposed of immediately prior to the commencement of the fast. Pancakes were therefore the perfect way of using up these perishable goods, besides providing a minor celebratory feast prior to the fast itself
The article goes on to say that the term Shrove Tuesday is not well known in the US.

My New Orleans raised husband finds it strange, but plays along. :o Is anyone else having pancakes tonight?

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We're having leftover lasagna tonight, but this mainline Episcopalian remembers Shrove Tuesday pancake dinners well from his youth. The general idea being that we looked down our WASPy noses as those uncouth Catholics celebrating Mardi Gras/Festival in such a racous manner.

[in case someone doesn't get it -- :o ]

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We called it pancake tuesday in Ireland and it was literally the only day of the year we would eat pancakes (crepes really) which was a pity because my mother made damn good ones.....just a little lemon and sugar.....the perfect send-off for a 'sweet' free Lent.

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We called it pancake tuesday in Ireland and it was literally the only day of the year we would eat pancakes (crepes really) which was a pity because my mother made damn good ones.....just a little lemon and sugar.....the perfect send-off for a 'sweet' free Lent.

That's how we did it in england...although we didn't do the lent part, just the pancake part (with lots of lemon, from those squeeze bottles that are shaped like a lemon, and lots of sugar)

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