Fat Tuesday for Catholics. Foie gras on Mardi Gras: how to celebrate Fat Tuesday in French and why you can only eat until midnight? Why do we flip pancakes when we toss them?

It is our custom to see off the winter with pancakes with honey and jam. And these are not the only customs of Maslenitsa. And abroad there is an even more extravagant celebration of farewell to winter. It's called "Fat Tuesday", or Mardi Gras in French. It is celebrated before the start of the Catholic fast on the eve of Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras symbolizes the welcoming of spring. Two amazing legends are associated with its origin.

Beauty or king?

According to this version, Fat Tuesday was started by pagans in pre-Christian times. They saw off the winter with symbolic pancakes and prepared many delicious dishes for the holiday. They celebrated farewell to winter noisily and cheerfully, and held mass celebrations. The holiday always ended before midnight with the selection of the king and queen of the holiday and the burning of a ritual totem doll. The holiday should not end later than midnight, since according to legend, sometime at midnight Satan tried to steal the soul of the beautiful Rose. Gabriel saved his beloved by snatching the bride from the devil’s clutches a couple of minutes before the start of a new day.

Modern legend

According to another legend, Tsarevich Alexei Alexandrovich was madly in love with the actress Lydia Tompsoen. On the eve of Mardi Gar, he followed her to the carnival in New Orleans. The carnival organizers provided him with a festive platform with the inscription “King” and Alexey Romanov became the king of the festival. Since that time it has been headed by the queen and the king. Nowadays, Mardi Gras is celebrated in the USA, Australia, Ecuador, Belgium, Norway, Czech Republic, Germany, and France. But each country has its own spicy “seasoning” of the holiday and the exotic carnival is unlike any other.

Pink and blue Mardi Gras in Sydney

In Sydney, reckless fun has a very specific connotation. Fat Tuesday here symbolizes the fight for the rights of sexual minorities. The famous Sydney Gay Pride Parade has been held since 1978. It's called GayandLesbian Mardi Gras. A pathetic and magnificent procession of lesbians and gays fills all the streets of Sydney. Bright colorful clothes, parodists, musical theaters, cabarets - all this cheerful procession has already become part of the national Australian culture. The influx of tourists wanting to see the exotic show brings millions of dollars into the state treasury every year.

Pancake races in Germany

In Germany, preparations for Mardi Gras begin in November, specifically on November 11 at 11:11 am. And the holiday begins with Weiberfastnacht in Munich and Cologne. Only women celebrate it, dressing up as devils and witches. This is a fun holiday of jokes and laughter. And in Rosenmontag, on the main street of the city, a fun carnival with pancake races begins. Imagine a whole crowd running with frying pans in their hands, flipping pancakes as they run. The holiday ends with fireworks and fireworks.

Frivolous New Orleans

In America, Mardi Gras is a jazz festival and a chic carnival. Americans know how to have fun too. Everyone goes out in carnival costumes and rides on floats in the Bacchus parade. Each platform is dedicated to some kind of wicked hobby: cards, women, drinking, and so on. And in America, this holiday is associated with the Three Kings pie. A figurine is baked into the dough and the one who gets it treats all his friends to lunch at the next carnival a year later.

Semla (plural semlor) is a traditional Swedish pastry. It is a pastry made from wheat flour, flavored with cardamom, filled with almond paste and whipped cream. The tradition of eating semla goes back a long time, and, oddly enough, coincides with Russian Maslenitsa.
“The last Tuesday before Lent - a 40-day period of abstinence and repentance from Ash Wednesday to Easter according to the Christian calendar - falls this year on February 28. This day, the last day of Maslenitsa, in Sweden is called fettisdagen, that is, “fat Tuesday." According to tradition, on this day on the eve of Lent, all fatty and other perishable foods are eaten.
Nowadays, however, Swedes are not limited to just Tuesday, preferring to feast on delicious soft wheat buns, generously topped with whipped cream and flavored with almond butter all month long, thus turning Fat Tuesday into a real Fat February.

According to custom, the semla was heated in a pan of warm milk - this is called "hetvägg" ("hot wall", I know, strange!). Having placed the bun in a deep plate, it was poured with hot milk and cream and sprinkled with cinnamon on top. Now these buns are very often eaten just like that, without milk, for example, at work during a coffee break.
According to the Swedish Bakers Association, on average each person eats four to five semla buns each year, served in a deep bowl with warm milk.
"Fat Tuesday" is also associated with the Swedish king Adolf Fredrick, who reigned from 1751 to 1771 and was apparently a victim of the buns in question. He died on February 12, 1771 after a hearty feast, which ended with eating semla. The king tasted lobster, caviar, oysters, meat, sauerkraut and turnips, and then he was offered his favorite semla, which he ate with warm milk and washed down with champagne. Two hours later, His Majesty began to have stomach cramps and died of a stroke. In the bulletin, the cause of death was named as the insidious semla bun, for which the king had an immoderate addiction. And yet - this sad story - did not in any way affect the Swedes’ love for rich semla. And in the Swedish language - there is even such a saying - when they talk about something that is in great demand - they cite the example of the famous bun - “it sells like hot semla.”

For Swedes, semla is not just a tradition, it is a real gastronomic pleasure that unites everyone in a single impulse to visit the nearest bakery or pastry shop with a single purpose. However, it can be argued that eating semla, a bun made from wheat flour with almond filling and whipped cream, has long gone beyond religious symbolism. Traditionally eaten on Tuesday, these plump, creamy buns appear on the shelves in early January. Perhaps Fat Tuesday is more like Fat February with January and March in addition.

And it doesn't stop there! Swedish newspapers also take an active part in this ritual, holding tastings to find out where the best semla is sold. Lisa Eisenman, one of the Svenska Dagbladet jury members and owner of the Cookbook Café on Järlaplan Square in central Stockholm, says: “I prefer semla, which has all three ingredients - almond filling, buttercream and buttercream. bun - harmoniously combined. We also take into account factors such as whether the filling is well distributed, whether the bun is damp, etc..”

For the test:
25 g - fresh yeast
1 glass of milk
75g oil drain
3 cups sifted flour
1/4 salt
1/2 cardamom
1 teaspoon baking powder;
1 egg for greasing

Almond filling:
125 g almonds;
0.1 l milk;
0.1 liters of granulated sugar.

Cream filling:
whipping cream;
powdered sugar.

Buns:
Crumble the yeast in a dough bowl. Melt the butter in milk, bringing it to a temperature of 37 degrees, not higher. Add a little butter-milk mixture to the yeast until it is completely dissolved, then pour in the rest of the mixture, adding salt, cardamom, sugar. Sift the flour along with the baking powder and add to the mixture, kneading until plastic. Sprinkle flour on top, cover with a towel and leave at room temperature for 30-40 minutes. until the dough doubles in volume.

Place the dough on the board, knead again until all the bubbles disappear, then divide the dough into 14 parts, forming each into a round bun. Place them on baking parchment paper and leave for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 225-250 degrees, brush the buns with beaten egg and bake for 8-10 minutes. (before browning).

When the finished buns have cooled, cut off the top and carefully take out some of the pulp, making a “funnel” for the almond mass.

Preparing almond mass.

Warm the milk slightly. Mix almonds, milk, sugar and bread crumbs with a mixer. Fill the buns with almond mixture. Add whipped cream with powdered sugar on top, place the cut top and sprinkle it with powdered sugar.

Semlor from Linda Lomelino on Vimeo.

Pancake races in England. 2009

The storming of “hell” is the culmination of Maslenitsa fun. Nuremberg, 1539

Penitential day

"Repentance Day" ( Shrove Tuesday) or "Pancake Day" ( Pancake Day listen)) is popular in the UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and some US states.

On this day, the British bake neat pancakes. They are most often eaten traditionally - warm, sprinkled with sugar and sprinkled with lemon juice. By tradition, many English housewives compete for the right to take part in the “pancake race” - a 400-meter race among women carrying a hot frying pan with a pancake in their hands, which must be tossed at least twice while running. The race begins at 11 a.m. when the church bells ring. The winner is the participant who manages to toss and flip the pancake in the frying pan the most number of times.

It is believed that this tradition originated in the town Olney in Buckinghamshire, when in 1445 one woman was so carried away by baking pancakes that when the church bell rang, announcing the start of the church service, she ran into the church with a frying pan, tossing the pancake on it so that it would not burn.

Mardi Gras

In French-speaking countries it is called Mardi Gras (French Mardi gras), in the USA it is also “Fat Tuesday” (English Fat Tuesday). Fat Tuesday traditions vary from country to country, but the common features are lavish feasts and carnival performances. In the USA, it is especially celebrated in New Orleans, where a large folk festival with a long carnival is held.

Fastnacht among the Southern Germans

Fastnacht(German: Fastnacht) is the designation for carnivals in the southwestern region of Germany, in western Austrian Vorarlberg, in Liechtenstein, in the German part of Switzerland and in Alsace. Also called Swabian-Alemannic fastnacht.

The Black Forest fastnacht is characterized by concealing the identity of the participants - under blankets, unusual outfits and special masks, usually made of wood (in special cases also made of fabric, cardboard, clay or tin). In Swabia and Alemannia, carnival participants do not change their fancy costumes every year, but wear the same ones from year to year, sometimes passing them on to children who continue the carnival traditions.

In most cities and towns in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, fastnacht celebrations begin on January 6, the feast of Epiphany. However, fastnacht itself begins on the so-called Dirty Thursday (German: Schmotzige Dunnschtig) before Ash Wednesday ( Aschermittwoch), which marks the climax of the carnival. Starting from Dirty Thursday, mummers' processions move through the cities and villages of southern Germany, northern Switzerland, western Austria and Alsace, and performances are held in squares. on the streets treats are prepared and eaten and special pies are baked - fasnetkuhli, beer and mulled wine flow like a river.

A large role in the organization of fastnakht is played by the meetings of participants - “jesters” (which take place on January 6 and the next few days) Narren), at which the program of subsequent holidays is announced and the last unresolved details are settled. The next significant day of fastnacht is Lichtmess, in trans. Bright meeting, Bright festivities; German Lichtmess, on the 40th day after Christmas, February 2 (Groundhog Day, Gromnitsa). On this day, participating “narras” remind their fellow citizens in various forms of expression about the funniest or most significant events of the past year. Currently, this tradition has been simplified, and the Narrs simply follow in groups from tavern to tavern, where they perform humorous quatrains and sing songs. Officially, fastnacht is not a public holiday.

"Remains" in Poland

In Poland from Fat Thursday Myasopust or Zapusty (Polish: Mięsopust, Zapusty) begins - the days when balls and parties take place. At this time, donuts are eaten with various fillings (most often with pink jam), sugar glaze, and sometimes sprinkled with candied orange peel. Meat Empty always ends on Tuesday, called in Poland “Leftovers”, “Herring” or “Short Tuesday” ( Ostatki, Śledzik, Kusy wtorek).

On this day, the Poles in Greater Poland, Kuyavia, Mazovia and the Lodz Voivodeship practiced the “podkozelek” ritual ( Podkoziołek). Guys and girls who had not gotten married in the past wedding season gathered for a joint feast. The youth placed a figurine of a naked man or goat carved from wood or rutabaga on a barrel in front of the musician, under which they placed a plate or dish to collect money from all those present. This dish was called “podkozelok”. The guys took turns calling the girls to dance, and they had to put a ransom on the plate, which gave them the right to dance. At the same time they sang: “Oh, you need to give under the goat, you need to give, / If one of us wants to get married!” The money collected went to the musicians. In Kuyavia, the ceremony began with teasing the girls, both from the boys and from the musician, who eventually took them under his wing and gave some of them up to the boys for dancing, charging them “podkozelek” (ransom of 2-3 groschen ). Girls who were left without gentlemen, or those for whom no one wanted to pay, also paid the ransom. In this way, they can “buy boys” for themselves, and were even encouraged to do this by guys or women. In Kuyavia, the ceremony sometimes took place in the presence of a mummer - a “goat”, and in Wielkopolska a guy stood next to the barrel on which money was placed, “holding in his hands a doll dressed in German style, or a small goat made from scraps.” It all ends with the onset of Ash Wednesday in some places - on Wednesday.

Myasopust or Fašank in the Czech Republic

The time from the Three Kings (January 6) to Ash Wednesday, which begins the 6 weeks of Easter Lent, is called in the Czech Republic - Meat waste, Shibrzhinki, Fashank, Leftovers(Czech. masopust, šibřinky, fašank, ostatky). The last three days of Masopust - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday - are associated with many customs, such as walks, dressing up, special dishes, dancing, dance games, dramatic games, and other forms of folk entertainment. The main customs of these days are processions and walks of mummers and musicians.

The composition of the mummers is quite varied. Of the zoomorphic images, they most often dressed up as a bear, which was considered a symbol of fertility, and also dressed up as a horse and a goat. Of the anthropomorphic characters, they dressed up as a woman with a burden, a woman with a baby, which men usually dressed up as, as well as a chimney sweep, a forester, a doctor, a gendarme, a gypsy, a Turk, a Jew, a jester and a “death woman”. In the south-east of Moravia, the tradition of walking around the “sub-shablers” has been preserved, performing ancient dances with sabers ( pod sable).

On Tuesday, closer to midnight, the double bass, which personified the meat-eater, is symbolically buried. During the “funeral,” there are comic speeches about the sins of the double bass and satirical appeals to fellow villagers. The fun sometimes continues past midnight. The owners gather in the wine cellar and there they only finally say goodbye to the masopust. The next day, on Ash Wednesday, before lunch you could still drink coffee with butter rolls or milk, and even drink liqueur or homemade wine.

Shrove Tuesday, or, as it is commonly called, Fat Tuesday, Penance or Pancake Day, is very popular in the UK. On this day, the British bake neat pancakes. They are most often eaten warm, sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice. Although many people in the United Kingdom are turning away from the traditional options, and every year on Fat Tuesday, Instagram is filled with photos of pancakes with a variety of fillings, toppings and sauces.

However, since the date of Fat Tuesday changes depending on Easter, many people are not sure when it is celebrated or why. So, this year Fat Tuesday falls on February 13th. And while you are preparing the pans and deciding what fillings to make pancakes with, we will tell the story of this holiday.

Why is Fat Tuesday celebrated?

For the British, Fat Tuesday marks the last day before the start of Lent, that is, before a period of strict abstinence from food. As a rule, sugar, fatty foods and eggs are excluded from the menu. Traditionally, pancakes were prepared on this day to use up food before the 40-day fast began. Some also believe that the four ingredients of pancakes symbolize the four pillars of faith: flour - daily bread, eggs - the universe, milk - purity, and salt - integrity. Although this day precedes Lent, it is widely celebrated not only by believers.

What is the meaning of Fat Tuesday

The word shrove in the name of Fat Tuesday comes from the English shrive, which means “to confess,” that is, to repent and try not to sin in the future. The day received this name because believers had the habit of confessing before the start of Lent. People were called to confession by the ringing of a bell called a pancake bell. Some churches still ring this bell.

Why do we flip pancakes when we toss them?

Pancakes have a long and interesting history. The first mention of them in a cookbook dates back to 1439. The tradition of tossing pancakes is almost as ancient. It is believed to have originated in Buckinghamshire. In the 15th century, one woman was so carried away by baking pancakes that when the bell rang, announcing the start of the service, she ran to confession along with a frying pan and tossed a pancake along the way so that it would not burn.

Today, many housewives in the UK compete for the right to participate in the “pancake race” - a race with a hot frying pan in hand, on which you need to flip a pancake. The race begins in the morning when the church bells ring. The housewife who can toss and flip the pancake the maximum number of times wins.

Need some inspiration for your own pancakes?

These delicious photos will surely convince you to indulge yourself and eat a pancake on Fat Tuesday. Get the pans ready!