Pancake Day or Mardi Gras
Americans are often surprised to hear that British people have a special day in celebration of pancakes. After all, American pancakes are a typical breakfast or brunch meal. However, pancakes in the UK are much thinner than American pancakes because they don't use baking powder, so they are not fat and fluffy and, instead, are more like French crepes.
Why pancakes?
Pancake Day is actually another name for Shrove Tuesday, which takes place 40 days before Easter Sunday and marks the start of Lent. In some other countries this day is called Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, because it's when people ate all the good things for the last time before starting 40 days of religious fasting for Lent. Milk, eggs and oil or butter might not seem special nowadays, but hundreds of years ago they were one of the few ways of turning a basic recipe of flour and water into something richer.
Recipe
To make about 12 pancakes you need:100g plain flour
2 large eggs
300ml milk
15ml of oil, plus extra for frying
a pinch of salt
- Put the flour, milk, oil and pinch of salt into a bowl. Whisk them together, then add the eggs and whisk again until you have a smooth liquid called batter.
- Leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes if you have time.
- Put a medium-size frying pan over medium heat and put a little oil in the pan.
- When the oil is hot, pour a large spoonful of batter into the pan and move the pan so that the batter covers the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the pancakes for one minute on each side until they are golden.
- Serve the pancakes warm with the topping you like best.
