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Sunday 3 March 2019

Pancake Day 2019 : Make It Low Carb !

David Hughes writes:
"Pancake Day, eagerly anticipated and hungrily celebrated on Shrove Tuesday every year, gives everyone the chance for one final blow-out before Lent begins. Here’s when it’s happening in 2019, and why a Christian observance has become so strongly associated with pancakes. 

When is Pancake Day 2019? 
In 2019, Pancake Day falls on 5 March, with pancake enthusiasts having to wait almost three weeks later than last year for their annual feast. The date changes because Shrove Tuesday, the Christian observance on which Pancake Day falls, is always 47 days before Easter Sunday. This year Easter is on 21 April, with its position calculated based on the first full moon that follows the spring equinox in March. 

Shrove Tuesday immediately precedes Ash Wednesday, which heralds the start of Lent. The season in the Christian calendar is supposed to replicate the Biblical story of Jesus Christ’s withdrawal into the desert for 40 days.

Shrove Tuesday has always been an occasion for feasting and frivolity

This is why Lent is traditionally a period of abstinence, with many non-Christians still getting into the spirit of the season by giving up a particular treat. With the bleak prospect of 40 days of discipline looming, it was perhaps inevitable that Shrove Tuesday would become an occasion to gorge oneself and cram in as much frivolity as possible. In French, the date became known as “Mardi Gras”, or “Fat Tuesday”, for this reason, and the label has been adopted in other nations too, most notably the USA.

Other traditions have developed around Shrove Tuesday beyond excessive eating, such as the unruly, village-wide football games in the UK which date as far back the 17th century. Although 19th-century law changes made them less commonplace, matches such as Ashbourne’s Royal Shrovetide Football still deliver mud, violence and general mayhem every year.

Why do we mark Shrove Tuesday with pancakes?
Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday for a simple reason: their ingredients. Lent, particularly when it was adhered to more widely and strictly, marked a time to eat simpler food, and give up things like sweet, rich and dairy ingredients. The day before the season started was therefore the ideal time to make pancakes as a means to use up leftover eggs, milk and sugar. Pancake races supposedly originated back in 1445, when a woman in Buckinghamshire is said to have been caught out by the sound of church bells before she’d finished making a pancake.

The annual Parliamentary Pancake Race marks Shrove Tuesday every year

Her solution, the story goes, was to sprint from her home to her local church service still carrying her frying pan, flipping the pancake within to prevent it burning. Olney, the town where the tale is based, still holds a world-famous annual race, with female contestants battling it out over a 415-yard course, traditionally wearing an apron in honour of pancake racing’s founder. Although the date is associated with different foods around the globe, Christians in countries like Russia and Ukraine eat blinis, their own traditional pancakes."

Words and pictures above, plus other related links, can be seen at article here

Low Carb Crepes / Pancakes



These crepes/pancakes are virtually carb. free and are very easy to make - although you use ricotta cheese they do not taste of cheese.

Ingredients:
200 Grams of ricotta cheese
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
A splash of milk

Method:
Mix the cheese, eggs and cinnamon into a small mixing bowl - add a splash of milk if the mix is too thick to run freely.
Place a small knob of butter into a (frying) pan, I use a small omelette pan 8". Heat the butter and spoon in 3 table-spoons of mix.
Fry until firm then turn over and cook for one minute or until the crepe is starting to brown.
This mix makes between 6 and 8 crepes/pancakes.
Allow to cool and fill with cream cheese and finely chopped spring onions or smoked salmon and asparagus tips, whatever you like.
Roll up the crepe and enjoy.
Great at any time and very good for the lunch box or picnics.
Also great warmed up with some low carb berries and double cream.
Or why not serve with a slice of lemon - gently squeezed over the crepes.

Coconut Flour Blinis
Just Add Some Smoked Salmon
recipe and more details here


Dear reader, you will find a variety of articles and recipes within this blog. Please note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.


happy pancake making, and please don't drop one while flipping!!! 

All the best Jan

42 comments:

happyone said...

Pancakes, my favorite breakfast. Thanks for the reminder that Pancake Day is coming up.

Bill said...

The Coconut Flour Blinis with smoked salmon sounds like a winner to me.

magiceye said...

This was so informative and interesting! Thank you for sharing.

Martha said...

Pancakes. Yummy! And maybe I'll add some fresh fruit to it. I can go for that.

Tom said...

...'Fat Tuesday' here on Maui is celebrated with malasadas.

Chris Lally said...

What fun! Great post, Jan! Really interesting :)

Iris Flavia said...

Wow, wow, wow, I can´t remember properly, I think it was here with the healthy ricotta I read about - now I have a real reason to give it a go, thanks so much.
And the Homer Simpson-pan will come to life again!

Little Wandering Wren said...

Happy Pancake Day from Asia!
Wren x

baili said...

Wow !

thank you dear Jan for sharing some very interesting details about the history of pancakes and specially it's origin

as we live in hot part of land so we use less cheese may be this is the reason that pancakes are mostly popular in northern urban areas

Valerie-Jael said...

Very informative article! Valerie

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I always try to watch the race on TV, since it's broadcast on our local channels. I only live about 50 miles from Liberal, KS, the "other" competitor with Olney. We have won 38 times to Olney's 29. It's a fun time for all and is celebrated here, too. Sounds like good pancakes!

Jo said...

Yum, I love pancakes, though I doubt we'll bother with them on Pancake Day now there's just the two of us at home. I used to make stacks when the kids were young as they couldn't get enough of them.

John R said...

Thank you for reminding me tomorrow is pancake day. I'd completely forgotten. I don't eat pancakes, but my daughter is a huge fan. I've have to make some for tea.

Existe Sempre Um Lugar said...

Bom dia, gosto de panquecas, desconhecia que tinha uma dia próprio para as comer, não como hoje como amanhã ou depois, o saborear é que é importante.
AG

Francisco Manuel Carrajola Oliveira said...

Adoro panquecas, aproveito para desejar um bom Carnaval.

Andarilhar
Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
Livros-Autografados

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Happy pancake Day tomorrow Jan ✨

mamasmercantile said...

I am a great fan of pancakes and use this day as an excuse to over indulge... doesn't hurt now and again.

Christine said...

These look amazing, thanks for the heads up on these dates.

Miss Val's Creations said...

Fun pancake history! I love crepes so I may be trying this one!

Anne Hagman-Niilola said...

must try!

Lowcarb team member said...

Existe Sempre Um Lugar said...
Bom dia, gosto de panquecas, desconhecia que tinha uma dia próprio para as comer, não como hoje como amanhã ou depois, o saborear é que é importante.
AG

Google translate:
Good morning, I like pancakes, I didn't know I had a day to eat them, not as today as tomorrow or afterwards, to savour it is important.
AG

Francisco Manuel Carrajola Oliveira said...
Adoro panquecas, aproveito para desejar um bom Carnaval

Google translate:
I love pancakes, I take the opportunity to wish a good carnival.

sage said...

I'm going to have to try those crepes!

www.thepulpitandthepen.com

Lady Fi said...

Those pancakes sound nice. Here in Sweden, they/we eat something called a semla.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, the ricotta pancakes sound yummy. Great post and thanks for sharing the recipe.
Happy Monday, enjoy your day! Wishing you a great new week ahead!

Polly said...

I used to live in Leighton Buzzard, not far from Olney. I love all the old traditions. Your recipe sounds interesting, I will try to remember to try it!

NCmountainwoman said...

I love pancakes. And I'm going to try this easy recipe. Thanks.

Lois said...

Interesting history! I love pancakes, but I might go with waffles this year.

John M said...

This looks easy enough for me to try, thanks.

Out on the prairie said...

I always crave them on that day, but didn't know about the race. I will maybe make crepes this year, Country Chicken, try this salmon

Bob Bushell said...

Fantastic pancakes day, love it.

carol l mckenna said...

Sounds yummy to me ~ thanks ^_^

Happy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

William Kendall said...

I'm planning on having some tomorrow!

Gloria Baker said...

I love crepes and with ricotta is an amazing idea, I love ricotta ! xo

Susan Kane said...

that is such an easy recipe!

I love the history/legend of pancake Tuesday. Great stuff.

Lowcarb team member said...

Lady Fi said...
Those pancakes sound nice. Here in Sweden, they/we eat something called a semla

Many thanks for your comment.
I decided to find out a little more about the Swedish-Finnish semla. Apparently it consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off, and is then filled with a mix of milk and almond paste, topped with whipped cream …
More details here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semla

All the best Jan

Lowcarb team member said...

Tom said...
...'Fat Tuesday' here on Maui is celebrated with malasadas.

Many thanks for your comment.
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands, and I didn't know they celebrated with malasadas … so of course I just had to look further into malasadas …

"The reason for making malasadas was to use up all the lard and sugar in the house, in preparation for Lent (much in the same way the tradition of Pancake Day in the United Kingdom originated on Shrove Tuesday), malasadas are sold alongside the Carnival of Madeira today. This tradition was taken to Hawaii, where Shrove Tuesday is known as Malasada Day, which dates back to the days of the sugarcane plantations of the 19th century, the resident Catholic Portuguese (mostly from Madeira and the Azores) workers used up butter and sugar prior to Lent by making large batches of malasadas."

More to read here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malasada

All the best Jan

Lowcarb team member said...

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...
I always try to watch the race on TV, since it's broadcast on our local channels. I only live about 50 miles from Liberal, KS, the "other" competitor with Olney. We have won 38 times to Olney's 29. It's a fun time for all and is celebrated here, too. Sounds like good pancakes!

Many thanks for your comment and information.
I'd not heard of the International Race but for readers who may want more information, there's more to read about it here
https://www.pancakeday.net/

Amazing.

All the best Jan

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I'm going to make pancakes one day this week...hubby asked for some. Mine will be low carb...his not so much! heehee! Thanks for the recipes!

Phil Slade said...

Granddaughters today, Tuesday for tea. They will be expecting pancakes and I'm thinking it will be strawberry jam as they are not too adventurous. You know exactly what I mean I expect?

Enjoy.

Debbie said...

i love pancakes - the real thing but these look like nice alternatives!!

Lorrie said...

I've been interested in low carb pancakes but have never tried any. Perhaps these will spur me on. Low carb for me, regular carb for him.

Magic Love Crow said...

Great post Jan!! Thank you! Big Hugs!