I have never heard of Pancake Day. I've heard the day referred to as Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday, of course, but never Pancake Day. I don't know if that's because I am not particularly religious or I don't pay enough attention, but the result is the same. I am woefully under informed and had no idea what other bloggers have been posting about.
So in order to correct this situation, and to catch up with everyone else, I did a little research. It turns out that it's called Pancake Tuesday/Pancake Day because, in the olden days, you had to use up all the ingredients in your home that were forbidden during Lent. Most of these things (eggs, milk, butter) can be used in pancakes.
There are all kinds of celebrations out there. In Olney, England there is an actual Pancake race. The Pancake race in Olney goes back 500 years. The story goes that one woman was so engrossed in making pancakes that when she heard the church bells calling for Shriving Service, she just threw on a head scarf and ran to church with frying pan in hand.
If you're interested in a fun way to serve pancakes, watch this video. It is interesting and informative with a lot of good ideas on what can go in a pancake. I believe it's more European than American, but it looks mighty tasty all the same.
Our pancake roundup this morning only included eight delicious recipes that were sure to tempt just about everyone to get out their frying pan and make up a batch. But as tempting as they may have been, most of the recipes presented there would not be good choices for gluten-free eaters because they were almost all flour-based. In fact, most pancake recipes are. Fortunately, there happen to be a lot of equally delicious gluten-free pancake options out there that ensure everyone who wants to can celebrate Fat Tuesday (a.k.a. National Pancake Day).
The easiest GF option is a pancake mix. Jay used Kinnikinnick Pancake Mix to make the lovely stack pictured above. There are many mixes out there to choose from, including Bob's Red Mill, which is widely available at Whole Foods Stores.
If you want to make your own, try using an alternative flour, as was done in these Rice Flour Crepes or Almond Flour Pancakes. You can find several more GF pancake recipes here, which use buckwheat, quinoa, potato flour and other gluten-free bases.
Last year, we rounded up eight great pancake recipes for a Fat Tuesday celebration, but even though eight new pancake recipes are enough to get you through several breakfasts without getting bored, there are always going to be more recipes out there to try. So, without further ado, here are eight delicious new pancake recipes to try:
Nosheteria's Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes (pictured) are light and tender, with the bright flavor of lemon backed up with a little crunch from poppyseeds. They're a great alternative to lemon poppyseed muffins.
Keeping the seasonal citrus, but moving in a slightly different direction, we have Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes, which are delicate and just melt in your mouth when eaten.
Oatmeal pancakes are hearty, but perfectly satisfying on a cold winter morning - although with a fresh berry topping like the one Elise used, they will satisfy in summer, as well.
A giant Baked Apple Pancake can be served as breakfast or as dessert, but due to its size and addictive taste, it is best to save lots of room for it.
A little bit of zest and spice can take a plain, buttermilk pancake to a whole new level, as they did in these Orange and Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes. Use any spices you like (ginger would be nice)!
For those of you who are health-conscious when it comes to breakfast, you might want to try making a batch of No-Flour, No-Sugar Crepes to start your day.
Pork-lovers will probably get a kick out of having their favorite breakfast side inside their pancakes, rather than next to them, so Bacon Pancakes should be particularly appealing to them
Nutella is often spread on top of pancakes or used as a filling for dessert crepes, but mixing it into the batter for Nutella Pancakes eliminates that pesky extra step before consumption. Opt for chocolate sauce as a topping if you like your pancakes for dessert, otherwise stick to maple syrup.
The whole idea behind having pancakes on Fat Tuesday is to use up the butter, milk, eggs and other indulgent ingredients that you might having lying around the house so that you won't be tempted during Lent. But because everyone likes pancakes and not everyone observes lent, calling the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday "National Pancake Day" makes the tradition open to all - and I think that we can all agree that more pancakes are not a bad thing.
For my pancake day breakfast, I opted not to go with something decadent, but instead with something more wholesome so that I don't feel too bad about starting the day with a couple more pancakes (topped with maple syrup, of course), than I need.
Do you have any plans for breakfast tomorrow? Since Tuesday, February 20th is National Pancake Day - also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday - you might want to think about heading to IHOP. Not only is the restaurant chain famous for their pancakes, but they're actually giving them away for free all day tomorrow! From 7 am - 10 pm at participating stores nationwide, all guests can get a short stack of classic buttermilk pancakes for free.
The point of the giveaway, in addition to the simple celebration of pancakes, is to raise money for charity. Diners are encouraged to donate the money that they would otherwise have spent on the pancakes (or as much as they'd like ) to support the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit group that raises money for children's hospitals across the country.
This is the third year that IHOP has held the pancake giveaway.
Today - February 28th, 2006 - all participating IHOP restaurants
will be giving away free pancakes to their customers. The free pancakes are in celebration of Fat
Tuesday and each diner who requests them will be given a short stack at no charge! In IHOP speak, a short stack of
pancakes is three pancakes, but diners with large appetites shouldn't worry about the small-sounding portion, since
each pancake is nearly the size of a plate. During the promotion, customers will be invited to donate to the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit group which works to raise funds for children's
hospitals in North America. Check out the IHOP website for full
details and locations for your free breakfast!
Even the name of "Fat Tuesday" implies that there should be at least a little indulgence in the day. In keeping with the tradition of making pancakes to celebrate the last day before lent, I made a batch of pancakes, using up some buttermilk, butter and eggs. As if that weren't enough for a delicious breakfast of classic comfort food, I added chocolate chips to really get into the decadent spirit of Mardi Gras. The pancakes themselves are light and fluffy, and the chocolate chips melt deliciously into your mouth as you eat. These don't really need syrup, but to really get into the theme of "Fat Tuesday", top yours with whipped cream. IF you have kids, use the whipped cream to make a smiley face, just like the IHOP Funny Face Pancakes.
Even though the may of Pancake Town USA doesn't seem to think that
any time is a good time for pancakes, he certainly can't deny that Fat Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is a
natural day for them. The tradition of eating pancakes on the last day before the season of Lent was started to use up
dairy and eggs that were often abstained from, from Ash Wednesday to Easter. But enough with religious roots: you don't
need an excuse to eat pancakes, but it doesn't hurt to have one. Here are Slashfood's eight favorite pancake
recipes:
The word "Creole" is derived from the Spanish word "Criollo," a term used in the 1700s by the
Spanish governing the New Orleans. Criollos were people of European descent living in the area. "Creole" came
to imply refinement and elegance.
While Cajun cooking is a fusion of primarily rustic, provincial French and American Southern cooking, Creole
cuisine additionally draws influences from the Caribbean, Africa, and Spain, using more classical European methods and
techniques with locally available ingredients. Like the original implication of the word, Creole is a
slightly more sophisticated style of food than Cajun.
Like Cajun cooking, Creole chefs use filé powder as well as the "Holy trinity" of bell
peppers, celery, and onions. Creole recipes also use butter, cream and tomatoes. Famous Creole recipes that are
shared with Cajun cooking are jambalaya and gumbo.
However, unique to Creoles are oysters Rockefeller, bananas Foster, shrimp rémoulade, and bread pudding.
As Mardi Gras approaches, and
many people might be entertaining over the weekend with menus inspired by New Orleans, let's take a look at the two
cuisines that many people mistakenly interchange: Cajun and Creole. The two are similar, which accounts for the
confusion, sharing some similar ingredients like file powder, a version of mirepoix made of onions, bell peppers,
and celery, and each even having their own versions of jambalaya, gumbo, and etouffe. Yet, the cuisines are
different.
The cuisine is a fusion of French and Southern cooking. The recipes use simple, local
ingredients, and are considered somewhat "rustic." The base for many of the soups and stews is a
dark roux made from flour and pork fat. There is a popular misconception that Cajun food is ragin'
spicy, but though Cajun cooks use a heavy hand with spices such as cayenne and black peppers, the food
is meant to have a balanced, not overpowering, heat. Another misconception is that Cajun cuisine includes
"blackened" fish and chicken, but most foods prepared in traditional Cajun home and restaurants don't do
this.
Cajun cuisine encompasses dirty rice, skillet cornbread, crawfish and other crustaceans boiled with
cayenne and salt, a lot of catfish, use of pork in the form of andouille, boudin and chaurice (similar to
chorizo) sausages, Tasso ham, gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffe.
Though the parades and festivities have been scaled back a bit this year in New Orleans,
Slashfood will be fully indulging in all kinds of food, drink, and traditions in honor of Mardi Gras next Tuesday.
We know Mardi Gras as a time of excessive celebration, and like many "holidays," through the
commercialization, we might have forgotten why it's there. As a refresher "Mardi
Gras" translates from French to "Fat Tuesday." The celebration has its roots in Catholicism -
the Church established the period from January 6th (12th Night) until Mardi Gras as "Carnival," a time of
celebration and enjoyment. Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival, and is the last chance for us to enjoy
ourselves, before we go into the 40 days of Lent, a period of prayer and penance.
Mardi Gras is also known as both Shrove Tuesday and
as Pancake Day because pancakes are eaten to
use up milk and eggs, which are not eaten during Lent.
Our 
Last year, we rounded up 
Do you have any plans for breakfast tomorrow? Since Tuesday, February 20th is National Pancake Day - also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday - you might want to think about heading to 
Today - February 28th, 2006 - all participating 
Even though the may of 
As 
Though the parades and festivities have been scaled back a bit this year in New Orleans,
Slashfood will be fully indulging in all kinds of food, drink, and traditions in honor of Mardi Gras next Tuesday. 
New York Times Magazine's food issue
Chicken McNuggets frolic at New York City pet store
Eat your broccoli orbs! 
