I can’t lie, living in France does sometimes have its advantages and one of them is that I get to have TWO (count ‘em) pancake days IN THE SAME MONTH (ok, ok, calm down). See, the French make crêpes at the start of February for la Chandeleur, a festival supposedly marking the presentation of the baby Jesus at the temple, but which is really a throwback to a pagan rite to celebrate the bear (I know, right?) coming out of his cave after hibernating all winter etc. etc. Whether said bear was holding a wooden spoon, history does not tell us, but he seems to have been clutching a frying pan because French people have been eating pancakes on that day ever since. Oooh la la. One pancake day down, one to go, then. And who wouldn’t want to mark Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, the last day before Lent? If I were Brazilian, I’d be whipping off my clothes and dancing behind a slow-moving lorry for most of the day. Luckily for us all, I’m a Brit and so I reach instead for the frying pan and start tossing MORE pancakes. But whereas at the beginning of the month, I allow myself to be swayed by Gallic custom, loading up my crêpe with chocolate spread, chestnut purée (yum!) and bananas, Round 2 is a more sober affair with only one topping allowed: freshly squeezed orange juice and sugar. Alright, lemon juice at a pinch. And they have to be as thin as you can possibly make them. That’s how Ma Bear does it (I texted her tonight to make sure she’s not gone rogue and started adding whipped cream and kiwi fruit). Simple and delicious, just like yours truly 😄
Pancake Day
4 Comments to “Pancake Day”
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HILARIOUS. and delicious. Hilarilicious.
Although I think that Brazil is clearly missing out on something with you not there :p -
ps. that gobbledygook up there was from me. xo.
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Yummm! And FASCINATING about the bear in the cave. It’s almost like Groundhog’s Day — which is the same day as La Chandeleur. BOM BOM BOM!
My dad makes the thinnest pancakes with lemon and sugar and that’s still how I like them best
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Katia, you are *OFFICIALLY* the first person ever to suggest my samba skills might be up to scratch and for that alone I love ya!! Ann, it IS like Groundhog Day, isn’t it? And I like the idea of the bear coming out all ready to make pancakes. Reminds me of myself at the weekend.
I’m with your Dad all the way, old skool crêpes rule!
