Pancake Day glossary
Every term, name, and tradition that surrounds Pancake Day — from Shrove Tuesday and Lent to galettes, blini, and the pancake bell. 28 entries.
A
Ash Wednesday
Read more- The first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar, falling the day after Shrove Tuesday. Marked by the placing of ashes on the forehead, it begins the 40-day fast leading up to Easter.
B
Baking powder
- A chemical raising agent that combines an acid (cream of tartar) and a base (sodium bicarbonate) with a starch. It activates with moisture and heat, lifting batter — essential for fluffy American-style pancakes.
Blini
Read more- Small Russian or Eastern European pancakes made with yeasted batter, often using buckwheat flour. Traditionally served with sour cream, smoked fish, or caviar. Eaten in large quantities during Maslenitsa, the Russian equivalent of Shrove Tuesday week.
Buckwheat
- A gluten-free grain (technically a seed) with a nutty flavour and grey-brown colour. Traditional in French galettes from Brittany and in Russian blini.
Buttermilk
- Cultured low-fat milk with a tangy flavour. Its acidity reacts with baking powder or baking soda to give American pancakes their fluffy lift and tender crumb.
See also: Baking powder
C
Carnival
Read more- The pre-Lenten festival period in Catholic-majority countries, culminating on Shrove Tuesday. Includes Mardi Gras (New Orleans, Brazil), Carnevale (Italy), and Fasching (Germany). All trace back to the same purpose: feasting before the Lenten fast.
Crepe
Read more- A thin, unleavened pancake originating in France. Made from a loose batter of flour, eggs, milk, and butter, cooked on a flat griddle and served folded or rolled with sweet or savoury fillings.
Crepes Suzette
- A classic French dessert of thin crepes warmed in a sauce of butter, sugar, orange juice, and orange liqueur (typically Grand Marnier), then flambeed at the table.
Crumpet
- A small, round, holey British griddle cake made from yeasted batter. Cooked in a ring on a hot plate so the bubbles rise to the top. Distinct from a pancake — denser, chewier, and toasted before serving.
See also: Mardi Gras, Lent
D
Dosa
Read more- A thin, crispy South Indian pancake made from fermented rice and lentil batter. Served with chutneys and sambar. A staple of South Indian cuisine and arguably the world's thinnest savoury pancake.
Drop scone
- A small, thick Scottish pancake made by dropping spoonfuls of batter onto a hot griddle. Also called a Scotch pancake. Closer to an American pancake than a British one.
See also: Scotch pancake
E
Easter Sunday
Read more- The Christian celebration of the resurrection, falling on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March. Pancake Day always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, which is why both dates move year to year.
F
Fastelavn
Read more- The Danish, Norwegian, and Faroese pre-Lenten celebration, observed on the Sunday or Monday before Ash Wednesday. Best known for fastelavnsboller — sweet, cream-filled buns — and traditional games like "hit the cat out of the barrel".
Fat Tuesday
Read more- The English translation of Mardi Gras. Refers to Shrove Tuesday's purpose as the last day to use up rich, fatty foods before the Lenten fast.
Flapjack
Read more- Two completely different foods depending on where you are. In the United States and Canada, a flapjack is a synonym for a thick, fluffy American-style pancake. In the United Kingdom, a flapjack is a baked oat bar made from rolled oats, butter, golden syrup, and brown sugar — entirely unrelated to a pancake. The divergence happened around the 1930s. The word itself dates to at least 1607, when Shakespeare used it in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
See also: Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday
See also: Hotcake, Scotch pancake
G
Galette
Read more- A savoury crepe made with buckwheat flour, originating in Brittany, France. The most famous version is the galette complete: ham, gruyere cheese, and a fried egg folded into a square.
H
Hotcake
Read more- The American and Latin American word for a pancake — specifically a thick, fluffy, American-style one. The phrase "selling like hotcakes" comes from the speed at which fresh hotcakes sold at 19th-century fairs and street stalls. McDonald's names its breakfast pancakes "Hotcakes" globally. In Mexico, hotcakes (borrowed directly from English) is the standard everyday word for pancakes.
See also: Flapjack
L
Lent
Read more- The 40-day Christian fasting period from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. Pancake Day is the final day before Lent begins.
M
Mardi Gras
Read more- French for "Fat Tuesday". The pre-Lenten carnival celebration most famously observed in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and parts of Catholic Europe. The same day as Shrove Tuesday and Pancake Day.
See also: Carnival, Shrove Tuesday
P
Pancake bell
Read more- The church bell rung on Shrove Tuesday morning to call the faithful to confession. Historically also signalled the start of pancake-making at home. Still rung in some English parishes, including Olney.
Pancake Day
Read more- The British name for Shrove Tuesday — the day before Lent begins. Traditionally celebrated by making and eating pancakes to use up rich ingredients (eggs, butter, milk, sugar) before the Lenten fast.
Pancake race
Read more- A traditional Shrove Tuesday race in which contestants run while flipping a pancake in a frying pan. The most famous is in Olney, Buckinghamshire, said to date from 1445.
See also: Pancake race, Shriving
Q
S
Scotch pancake
- A small, thick Scottish pancake — also called a drop scone — made on a griddle. Served cold with butter and jam, traditionally for tea.
Shriving
Read more- The act of confessing sins and receiving absolution from a priest. The verb gives Shrove Tuesday its name: it was the last day Christians could be shriven before Lent.
Shrove Tuesday
Read more- The day before Ash Wednesday in the Christian calendar — the final day before Lent begins. Known in Britain as Pancake Day. Falls 47 days before Easter Sunday and so changes date each year.
Souffle pancake
Read more- A tall, jiggly Japanese-style pancake made by folding stiffly whipped egg whites into the batter and cooking low and slow with a lid on. Typically several inches tall and almost cloud-like in texture.
See also: Drop scone
See also: Pancake Day, Lent
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