Pancakes, Lots of Pancakes (includes a healthy recipe)

Pancake Tuesday is around the corner here in Multicultural Ireland which will be on Tuesday 17th of February 2026. But where does this cultural feast originate and is it the same around the World?

It originated from Anglo-Saxon Christian traditions in the United Kingdom in the mid 1440s, although it has been popularized among many here in Catholic Ireland. To those of you who are Irish reading this, it may surprise you to find it wasn’t actually coined by our main religion. However, it was in fact adopted by many followers of the Roman Catholic Church only a few hundred years ago.

Methodists, Anglican Church, Lutheran’s and most recently, Catholicism only began Nick naming it Pancake Tuesday / Pancake Day around a hundred years ago.

To many of our older, more devout  Christians, it is still called Shrove Tuesday meaning “to be shriven” or “absolved from sin.” It is only in the last hundred years or so that it has become popularized as Pancake Tuesday here in the Green Isles of Ireland. Personally, I prefer Pancake Tuesday as it is more light hearted.

Now the real question I was buzzing to know, and I’m sure you as my reader are too. I have already mentioned when Pancake Tuesday came from. Now to the main questions, where and why did the delish pancake batter enter into the mix? The answer?

The United Kingdom Christian tradition in the 16th Century. It is believed it actually became a Christian thing from The Legend of Olney. A tale about a woman who was cooking, you guessed it, pancakes for breakfast before going to Church in a place in England called Olney in Buckinghamshire. It is said she heard the church bells announcing Mass and ran out of her house still holding the frying pan with a pancake in it in an awful hurry to get there on time. Whether this is true or not is another question, but then, people do funny things when under stress. I should know, I have been rather silly over the years and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some of my past behavior has become legend amongst my peers and further afield.

Creid e no na creid (believe it or not for non Irish speakers), pancakes are actually a prehistoric recipe originally made from grain and water, a very different recipe to what is the modern tale on it.

You would also have found similar recipes in ancient Greece and Rome. In fact, Rome borrowed the Greek recipe of wheat ground into flour, olive oil, honey and curdled milk. The Greek for pancakes is “tēganitēs” which translates into English as Frying pan. Rome altered the ingredients the Greeks used ever so slightly to eggs, spices like cinnamon, flour and milk.

So, now to the next questions why are the common ingredients used today?

Pancakes are eaten as a feast just before the Christian fasting period of Lent. This tradition spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages between the 11th Century AD and the 15th Century AD. The act of using up the last of each household’s eggs, dairy, milk mixed in with wheat flour became popular as it was seen as a way for people to consume animal based products the day before Lenten fast started called Ash Wednesday. It is on Ash Wednesday that certain Christian religious congregations such as Catholics go to church to receive ash on their foreheads by a priest and / or lay person. The ashen cross, for many, is a symbol of repentance and humility prior to the 40 days of Lent, especially popular in Ireland. But not as popular as pancakes. Speaking of…

Now that I have discussed when, where and why pancakes arrived in Catholic Ireland, you can find a healthy gluten free / dairy free pancake recipe below:

Ingredients:

40 grams free from oats

1 egg

4tsp cinnamon

1tbsp honey

100ml almond milk

Olive oil

2 tbsp Greek style vegan yogurt

Strawberries

Cooking instructions 🍳

Start by placing the oats into a food process and blend until a flour consistency forms.

• Start by placing the gluten free oats into a food processor and blend until a flour-like consistency forms. Place in mixing bowl
• Break the egg into a small bowl and whisk for 1 minute.
• Add the egg and the almond milk to the free from oats flour. Whisk until smooth
• Stir in the honey and cinnamon and whisk at a gentle level so as to avoid spillage
• Place a small to medium sized pan and spritz with olive oil and bring it to a medium heat
• Using a label spoon some of the mix into the pan and let it cook for 3-4 minutes on the pan before flipping it over (or using a flat spatula to turn it over. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes at a medium heat. Repeat this until all the mix has been used up
• Serve with a small sprinkle of extra honey, berries and Greek Style vegan yogurt (my go to is Alpro Soya Vegan style yogurt)

Dig in and enjoy… Pancakes, lots of pancakes 🥞🤤 yummy