Pancake Day - Relevance, Significance and Importance
February 08, 2018
Pancake Day, the last day before Lent, is almost upon us. Going by its significance, this day falls on a Tuesday in the month of February or March every year, preceding Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Lent is the fasting period of 40 days, which Christians consider as the abstinence period leading all the way to Easter. This marks Pancake Day as the last day to indulge in binge eating, and pancakes are the top favourites.
How Australians celebrate it
It’s very common for Australians to prepare and share pancakes on this day. Many people also sell pancakes to raise money for charities. The proceeds from these sales also go to low-income families that are facing difficult times. Since this is the last day before a 40-day hiatus from eggs and all dairy items begins, people use this day to prepare pancakes using these products and also adding AP flour to the mix.
Despite the festive mood around, this day is not a public holiday, and so it's the usual business for most across Australia.
Pairing wines with pancakes
What goes into the preparation of a pancake also drives the type of wine that would sit well with it. The ideal pairing for pancakes will be Rutherglen Muscat wines. You can also go for sparkling wines, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay as other choices that pair well with pancakes made using different techniques and topped with different ingredients like fruits based syrups, maple syrups, ham and cheese, and more.
Why pancakes?
In the earlier times, it was a general idea among people to clear their shelves and cupboards with any fattening and tempting foods before Lent so that they didn't have the urge to eat them during the period. Most of the times, the items that weren't consumed were eggs, milk, and salt and sugar, the primary ingredients of pancake. Also, the four ingredients of a pancake represent the four pillars of faith: Flour for the staff of life, eggs for creation, milk for purity, and salt for wholesomeness.
Pancake Day falls this year on Tuesday, 13 February 2018.
