Don’t let Pancake Day fall flat in Spain this year

Don't let Pancake Day crepe up on you: be prepared, even in Spain

Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday – whatever you call it – is upon us once again. For Brits, this means hastily asking your colleagues on Tuesday afternoon ‘Is it Pancake Day today?’ and then hitting Sainsbury’s on your way home to grab some ready made batter mix, lemon juice and, if you’re adventurous, maybe some Nutella and bananas.

So if that’s how the Brits do it – in their traditionally half-hearted, rushed, commercialised fashion – then the Spaniards must go all out, surely? A whole week off work, street parties, dancing, drinking and a veritable banquet of delicious pancakes drizzled in all manner of delectable toppings?

Well, no, strangely. Despite its religious Christian roots, Shrove Tuesday is a pretty low-key event in Spain. Across the border in Portugal it’s known as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) – a festival that’s world-famous in Brazil, of course. But in Spain it is merely a low-key Carnival. The clue, however, is in the name – the English word ‘Carnival’ derives from the Latin carne levare, which means, roughly, ‘to take away meat’.

Now, before the cavalry of Findus, Tesco and Aldi horsemeat jokes gallop over the horizon, let’s look at that once more. The fasting period that traditionally follows Shrove Tuesday is preceded by using up all of the ingredients in a traditional larder. In northern European countries, this typically meant that pancakes were all that was left on the menu.

In Spain, Italy and Portugal, however, it was traditionally a less penitent, more celebratory festival, just without meat. But today? It barely registers with most Andalusians, even though the British expat population has managed to keep the tradition alive throughout most corners of the Costa del Sol.

So if you’re living in Spain and want to share a British tradition that doesn’t – for once – revolve around copious amounts of booze, then why not invite your Spanish friends round to yours this Pancake Day to treat them to an evening of traditional pancakes smothered in your favourite topping?

You never know, you might just start something…