The Original Great British Bake Off

C. A. Asbrey

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is observed in various ways in Christian countries throughout the world, but most reflect the fact that it’s the last day to feast on forbidden goodies before the lenten fast begins. The most famous are probably the carnival in Rio De Janeiro and the Mardis Gras in New Orleans, which translates directly from French as Fat Tuesday. The word carnival comes from from medieval Latin carnelevamen, carnelevarium ‘Shrovetide’, from Latin caro, carn– ‘flesh’ + levare ‘put away’. In Denmark, buns stuffed with whipped cream, chocolate, jam, accompany fastenlavn; a game involving hitting toy barrels full of sweets shaped like cats in a game similar to a piñata. Lithuanians are encouraged to eat twelve meals to prepare for the fast, and hold festivals where people sing, dance, and play tricks in a way Halloween is celebrated elsewhere. The Polish have Fat Thursday instead, with bakeries opening early to sell of the cakes that will be consumed that day,and Spain also starts on the last Thursday before Lent when they throw Dia de la Tortilla, literally Day of the Omelette. This carnival varies by region, but rest assured it will involve feasting on all things tasty and fattening.

In the UK it’s all about the pancakes. They cook them, eat them, race with them, flip them, and ritually beg for them. In older times a version a wassailing accompanied Shrove Tuesday. Known as Lent Crocking, Nicky-Nan Night, the Drawing of Cloam, Dappy-Door Night, or Pan Sharding. This entailed people going from door to door begging for pancakes, ingredients, or fillings. A failure to provide them could result in pranks. The origins of the pancake race come from an old story about a woman in 1445 who was so busy making pancakes that she didn’t realise she was late for church until the bells rung. She raced to the church, still clutching her hot pan, tossing the pancake all the way to prevent it from burning.

This tradition takes place all over the UK, and even at the Houses of Parliament, but the event at the Village of Olney is the most famous. Contestants run a 415 yard course, and they must wear a headscarf and an apron, tossing the pancake as they go. Other events celebrate the tossing of the pancakes, trying to toss it the highest, the most times, or set records for the largest number of people tossing pancakes (Sheffield 2012, where 890 people tossed pancakes for thirty seconds). The largest pancake was also tossed in England, in Rochdale, in 1994 using a crane.

Florence White was the first freelance food journalist un the UK. In 1932 she published a book of regional 853 recipes from all over the UK, some dating back to the fourteenth century. I can’t think of anyone better to provide an original pancake recipe.

Ingredients

2 oz plain flour

1 egg

1 gill of milk (a historical measurement, translating to 142ml)

A pinch of salt 2 oz clarified fat for frying

2 oz caster sugar

Lemon juice

Method

Mix the flour and salt together, and make into a batter with the egg and milk. Heat the frying-pan, add a little fat. Make it quite hot, and pour in enough batter to cover the pan thinly. When golden brown on one side, toss or turn and fry the other.

Squeeze a little lemon juice over it, dust with caster sugar, roll up and serve dusted with caster sugar.