Pancakes – toss or flip?

Well what’s not to like about pancake day?

Pancakes – Toss or Flip?

Barnet Boy has just finished tucking into a plate of pancakes smothered in maple syrup which were cooked on a pancake/crepe griddle and were expertly flipped (by moi) using a spatula. I am (forgive the phrase) not a tosser. At the best of times I make a mess and tossing pancakes is a recipe for disaster.

History of Pancake Day

According to Historic UK, Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Prior to the fasting traditionally associated with Lent, Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession on Shrove Tuesday and a bell would be tolled summoning them to attend (which became known as the pancake bell).

This was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before the fasting began and pancakes were a good way of doing so. For those of you who don’t know, a pancake is made of batter (eggs, flour, salt and milk) and fried on griddle, it is flat and very thin.

Pancake Days I Have Known and Loved

As a Kid

When I was a kid Pancake Day was a big deal and we would really look forward to it. Mum would make a big batch of batter and we would sit with our plates and she would put a pancake on each of our plates in turn. We would either sprinkle it with sugar and squeeze lemon on it or have Golden Syrup (which is a light treacle).  At school we had pancake races (you were supposed to toss them as you ran of course!). The origin of pancake races is said to be that in 1445 a woman of Olney (UK) heard the bell calling people to confession while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan!

As an Adult

As I got older and started cooking in my own home I developed a taste for savoury pancakes and I make a fabulous vegetarian pancake lasagne, substituting lasagne sheets for pancakes!

Here in Italy I once had some English friends round to a pancake party and asked my Italian neighbour to attend. He was horrified at the attempts to toss the pancake. This included mine which inevitably ended up with the pancake stuck to one of the overhead beams in the kitchen. He did, however, love what we did with the pancakes when they were cooked. All the Italians I know have a sweet tooth. Unfortunately he got a bit carried away. He smothered the pancake in sugar, squeezing lemon enthusiastically. And then smothering all of that in the Golden Syrup I had brought over from England especially for the occasion! Great party!

So, Happy Pancake Day everyone!

This article was originally published in 2016 and has been updated and republished 1 March 2022.

Before you go

My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.

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