Flamed with Grand Marnier or sprinkled with sugar and lemon, few can resist the soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture of a perfectly made crêpe or pancake. And this is the week to indulge. Saturday (2 February) is the French celebration of La Chandeleur and on Tuesday (5 February) it’s Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday in Britain. Both days are steeped in traditions and superstition.
La Chandeleur, (Candlemass) with its lighting of candles, began as a way to encourage a good harvest and to drive away evil spirits after the long dark days of winter. To be able to carry your candle home without it going out was seen as especially lucky. Today, the French eat crêpes, the shape and colour of the sun. Superstition says that if you hold a gold coin in your left hand while flipping your crêpe successfully with your right, you will have prosperity and good fortune for the coming year.
Shrove Tuesday, from the old word ’shrive’ meaning to confess, was the day when people in the Middle Ages confessed their sins before the season of Lent. Over the years it became a day of celebration as well as penitence, as it was the last chance to indulge in eating those foods that were forbidden in Lent; fat, butter and eggs.
Whether you enjoy them as crêpes or pancakes, today there are as wide a variety of fillings as you can imagine. Among the recipes in this fortnight’s Vie Practique Gourmand (No. 129) can be found sweet fillings of pears and chocolate, orange sorbet and apples and strawberries, while suggestions for savoury crêpes include mushrooms, smoked salmon and curried chicken. Basic crêpe and pancake recipes can be found here .
Lemon cheese and chocolate spread are popular pancake fillings in the UK. But for the traditionalist, what can beat sprinkled sugar and lemon juice?
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