Gingerbread pancakes for Shrove Tuesday

Can someone explain to me what happened with the Anglican Communion? In 1534, Henry the Eighth split the Church of England from the Catholic Church so he could divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. And from then on, Anglicans have basically been lax Catholics. Our priests can marry, we don’t have one-on-one confessions, we have female priests and we can divorce and remarry to our hearts’ content. So in those days before lent, when Catholic countries are filled with people wearing beads, tossing doubloons, donning festive masks, dancing in the streets and eating king cake, why do those radical and rebellious Anglicans mark the night before Lent by staidly eating a pile of pancakes?

OK, I admit, I do know that there is a historical (if not liturgical) reason why pancakes are consumed on this day. Many centuries ago, fatty foods including dairy were forbidden during the 40 days of Lent. So in order to use up their supply of these ingredients, the Anglicans added flour and voila—a feast of pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday. And don’t get me wrong. I love pancakes. Next to pizza and burgers, I’d say it’s one of those foods that’s never bad, there are just varying degrees of quality. But growing up in an Episcopalian family, and watching all my Catholic friends head with their families to Galveston or New Orleans to revel in those last few days before Lent, I always felt a little sheepish walking into my church’s annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. No beads, no floats, no dancing, just stack upon stack of pancakes. And yes, it was a bit gluttonous, but compared to Mardi Gras, it was bit tame, too.
Read more »