This Is Cheshire

What's cooking?

From the Guardian Series, first published Thursday 27th Feb 2003.

What's cooking?

TUESDAY is Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday, which is the traditional Christian feast day before the start of Lent on Wednesday.

Lent - the 40 days before Easter - was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday Christians went to confession and were 'shriven' (absolved from their sins). It was also the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes were the perfect way of using up these forbidden ingredients.

Pancakes have a long history and featured in cookbooks going back as far as 1439!

The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old, with books talking about tossing pancakes as long ago as 1619.

There are different types of pancake around the world. Traditionally British people eat them with lemon and sugar.

German and French pancakes are very thin and served with sweet or savoury fillings.

Russian blinis, usually made with buckwheat, are thicker and smaller than British pancakes and are usually served with caviar and sour cream.

In Mexico, pancakes are called tortillas, which are often served folded over a bean or meat filling and topped with tomato sauce.

American pancakes are thicker and are served for breakfast with bacon, eggs and lots of maple syrup.

Even if you do not celebrate Lent, pancakes are a delicious dish to eat. But a word of warning - do not attempt to make them yourself! The fat in the pan gets VERY hot and it is very easy to get hurt. So, cut the recipe out and pass it to your mum or dad and ask them very nicely to help you out!