Shrove Tuesday (Known also as The Pancake Day) is a traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up all of the easily spoilable eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast. Pancakes, after all, are the perfect way of using those ingredients.
On this day the Anglo-Saxon Christians went for confessions and were “shriven” (absolved from their sins). A bell would be rung to call people for confessions. This, due to the traditional dish, came to be called the “Pancake Bell” and is still rung today.
Every celebration involving foods or feasts usually has fun games or traditions associated with it, pancake day is no exception. Which is why, here in UK we have the pancake race. This race gives an opportunity for a large number of people, often in fancy dresses, to race down streets tossing pancakes. The object of the race is to get to the finishing line first, carrying a frying pan with a cooked pancake on it and flipping the pancake as you run. Sounds fun, you get to eat the pancake, so don't drop it!
Source: historic-uk.com
When is Pancake Day?
Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year.
Pancake Day 2024 is on Tuesday, February 13
Britain's Top 20 Pancake Toppings
These are the top 20 toppings in the UK:
- Lemon
- Sugar
- Maple Syrup
- Chocolate spread
- Golden syrup
- Honey
- Cream
- Jam
- Chocolate sauce
- Banana
- Bacon
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Ice Cream
- Raspberries
- Mixed berries
- Cinnamon
- Cheddar cheese
- Smoked salmon
- Greek yoghurt
