Lucinda Frye
Diverse and indigenous cuisine brought by the many ethnic people to St. Maarten from all over the world piques our interest. To this end, we are on a quest to find where it comes from, if it is used for celebrations, if it is exotic to some but normal food to others. Anything to do with keeping the body and soul nourished with what is produced from good old terra firma is what makes the world go around.
I know, I know. Shrove Tuesday is past since March 5, but who says one can’t still make these wonderful recipes!
This past week and the days leading up to it has been fun-fun-fun – seriously! Heineken Regatta is a wonderful thing for the island, for islanders and for all those who arrive from different parts of the world to take part.
Sitting at the yacht club watching the bridge openings, I got chatting to some very English sounding folk. Turns out they were from a small village in Buckinghamshire and were involved in the Pancake Day races. They were saying that they sure hoped the weather would be better (I understood them to mean warmer and no snow) than it had been in recent weeks.
I was fascinated to hear about the races that the whole village turns out to enjoy. They told me that someone (I think it was a relative) won the race consistently and that the winner had a lucky talisman but this year he was worried that his luck would not last as his talisman had been “borrowed” by his wife.
I asked what the talisman was, and they said it was the scarf that is an obligatory (along with an apron) part of the outfit to be worn by contestants in the Pancake Day race. This year, the wife will race wearing the lucky scarf to see if it really is lucky! How much of all this was true I don’t know! They could have been swinging me a typical sailor’s yarn.
Shrove Tuesday: The word “shrove” is a form of the English word “shrive” – which means “to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of confession and doing penance.” Shrove Tuesday was named after the custom of Christians to be “shriven” before the start of Lent.
The Pancake Day tradition began on the day of absolution (so it is told) at 11:00am with the ringing of a church bell in 1445 when a housewife from Olney, Buckinghamshire, was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house to church while still carrying her frying pan and pancake, tossing it to prevent it from burning.
Why was this housewife making pancakes? Well, one is meant to abstain from eating meat during Lent, especially on Fridays. In this day and age, one can eat dairy and fish on the other days; but in the old days, they were quite strict about not eating any living creature during the 40 days of lent.
So, during the days before Lent started, they would make dishes that used up all the foods in the house – Tuesday being the day eggs, milk, cream and butter (and stocks of other fats) were used up; and what better way to use them up than making stacks of pancakes! This custom continued long after the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century.
Shrove Tuesday is always the day preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), and always falls in February or March. The date of Shrove Tuesday changes as it is intrinsically linked to Easter, a moveable feast which falls between March 22 and April 25.
Tradition is now ongoing throughout Britain. On Pancake Day, “pancake races” are held in villages and towns all over the UK. Participants with frying pans race through the streets tossing pancakes into the air and catching them in the pan while running.
The pancake race traditionally has women contestants who carry a frying pan and race over a 415-yard course to the finishing line. Strict rules apply; contestants must wear an apron and a scarf and toss the pancake at the start and the end of the race!
(While it is commonly said that Lent lasts 40 days, there are actually 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. Traditionally, Lent was not followed on Sundays, giving followers a day of rest each week. If you exclude all of the Sundays in the period, then Lent lasts 40 days.)
Today, Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians – be they Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists or Roman Catholics. The term Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” – referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, and in some places in America “Fat Tuesday” is celebrated with gusto!
In the Netherlands, it is known as “vastenavond” and usually refers to the entire period of Carnival in the Netherlands. In Portuguese-, Spanish- and Italian-speaking countries, this time is known as “carnelevamen” – the word derives from Medieval Latin, meaning “the putting away of flesh”, i.e., the Lenten fast of abstaining from eating meat.
Pancakes are not the only thing associated with this time around the world. In Finland and Sweden, the day is associated with the almond paste-filled semla pastry; and in the traditional Christian festivals in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, thin pancakes called blini are eaten.
There are a few different “types” of pancakes. The Blini, as mentioned above, are small batter cakes enjoyed with smoke salmon, crème fraiche and capers. English pancakes are like the French crepe; these are enjoyed in both savoury and sweet form. The most popular sweet pancake filling is cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice. The savoury pancakes are often filled with a creamy meat filling (think along the lines of “chicken a la king”) and rolled and baked in a dish.
American pancakes are a thicker, round of fried batter, enjoyed for breakfasts year-round. Maple syrup and small pork sausage links go very well with these pancakes. Maple syrup is a divine syrup that most folk know. The best is the “real thing” – not the commercial syrup one finds at the supermarkets. These days the “real thing” is quite easy to find on the shelves in our supermarkets. It is worth the few extra pennies!
RECIPES
UK-style Pancakes – my favourite recipe for pancakes is one from the iconic Delia Smith. Use a 7-inch pan – of course if you use a smaller or larger pan, you will get a few more or a few less pancakes. These pancakes are not made with sugar so they can be stuffed with a savoury filling too.
Ingredients
4oz plain flour, sifted
Pinch salt
2 eggs
200ml milk mixed with 75ml water
2oz butter
To serve
Caster sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon
Method
Sift flour and salt.
Make a well in the centre, break the eggs into it and begin whisking incorporating flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.
Slowly add small quantities of milk/water mixture while still whisking.
Scrape sides and whisk until the batter is the consistency of thin cream.
Melt 2oz butter.
Add 2 TBL and whisk it in.
The rest of the butter is used in small increments for the pan when frying.
Heat pan till very hot, turn down to medium and make first pancake using about 2 TBL of batter.
As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter - edges will be just golden when cooked.
Flip pancake over (with a pan slice or palette knife or by “flipping) needs 2 seconds the other side.
Stack pancakes between sheets of greaseproof paper – keep warm (makes about 12 in a 7-inch pan).
Sprinkle each pancake with sugar, cinnamon and a little lemon juice, roll up and enjoy.
American Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
4¾oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder, scant
½ tsp salt
2 TBL caster sugar
4½fl oz milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 TBL melted butter
Method
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar, set aside.
Lightly whisk together milk and egg.
Whisk in melted butter.
Pour milk mixture into flour mixture, whisk until smooth.
Allow batter stand a few minutes.
Heat a non-stick frying pan, add a knob of butter.
When melted, pour in a ladle of batter to make a round pancake in the pan (or make 2 if the pan is large) – mixture is thick.
The top of the pancake will begin to bubble, now is the time to turn it over and cook the other side till golden.
Repeat until all the batter is used up.
Serve with real maple syrup.
Potato Blini – Blinis can be made with or without yeast. These are made with potato.
Ingredients
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and baked till soft
3 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
½ cup sour cream, room temperature
¼ cup flour
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 TBL unsalted butter, melted
Method
Whisk egg yolks, egg, sour cream, set aside.
Scoop out potato flesh, discard skins.
Pass flesh through a food mill.
Quickly sprinkle flour, salt, pepper, baking soda and nutmeg over potatoes.
Toss lightly with a fork, breaking up any clumps.
Make a well in centre, pour in sour cream mixture, whisk well from centre out.
Allow to rest 10 minutes.
Heat frying pan till hot.
Brush with a little butter.
Spoon scant TBL of batter into hot pan.
Cook until golden with bubbles forming on top, about 1 min.
Flip, cook until golden brown, about 1 min.
Keep warm in preheated oven.
Serve with crème fraiche, smoked salmon, etc.
