Notizie dal Mondo British Institutes

SHROVE TUESDAY and PANCAKE DAY

Do you know what is SHROVE TUESDAY? And why it is also called PANCAKE DAY? 🥞

Shrove Tuesday (Martedì Grasso) is the last day of Carnival 🎉

The day after Shrove Tuesday is Ash Wednesday (Mercoledì delle Ceneri), which is the fisrt day of Lent, that is Quaresima. Lent is the Christian period preceding Easter, which is devoted to fasting (digiuno) and penitence. Therefore, Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up (consumare) eggs and fat, before embarking on (intraprendere) a Lenten fasting (il digiuno quaresimale).

So pancakes were the perfect way to use up (consumare) all these ingredients and that’s why Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day. Bristish people celebrate Pancake Day by eating pancakes.

A pancake is a thin, flat cake which is fried in a pan (padella) and is normally served with syrup and lemon juice and sugar. Pancake races are also part of the celebrations. People race while flipping (lanciando) a pancacke in a frying pan.

The tradition is said to have originated in 1445, when a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service (funzione/messa). She ran as fast as she could to make it, and arrived still carrying and tossing (lanciando) her pancake in the pan.