That’s what you’ll get if you celebrate at the beginning of the month as Belgians do, as well as on our own Shrove Tuesday (21 February). Culinary historian Regula Ysewijn explains the traditions of her homeland and shares her favourite recipes – a fine excuse to eat some of the best treats of the year
FEATURE, RECIPES, PHOTOGRAPHS AND STYLING REGULA YSEWIJN
I grew up in Flanders, the Dutch region of trilingual Belgium, where the year is made up of traditional and religious festivals, each honoured as an excuse to eat. February is when we need cheering up because winter has been long and we’ve finished the spiced speculaas and honey cakes from Christmas.
PANCAKE DAY... A DOUBLE CELEBRATION!
A sparkle of light comes on 2 February with Lichtmis or Candlemas. Although in its essence a religious feast, it’s now more remembered because of the proverb: ‘On Candlemas, no woman is too poor to heat her pancake pan’. It’s because of this saying that, in my region, Pancake Day occurs at this time rather than on Shrove Tuesday, the feast with a moveable date, also known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. That’s the day you have to use up your butter and eggs before the fasting of Lent begins.
In our house, making pancakes for Candlemas was a sacred tradition. My mum would cite the proverb in the morning to remind me there’d be pancakes that day. The pancakes were plain; the kind I’ve never used a recipe for but just scooped white flour into a bowl and whisked in milk and eggs until it was right, letting the batter drop from my spoon to judge its consistency. The first pancake would always fail.
There’s an old Belgian saying that if Candlemas is a fine day, we’ll have two winters that year, so maybe if the first pancake comes out of the pan perfectly it’s a sign we’ll have to wait a little longer for spring.
SWEET OR SAVOURY?
In Wallonia, the French region of my country, the pancakes are made with buckwheat flour and the toppings can be either sweet or savoury, while in my home town in Flanders they’re always sweet. My Walloon neighbours cook pancakes on Candlemas and Mardi Gras – a day when Gilles, the bizarrely dressed creatures of the carnival in the town of Binche, make their appearance. Up before first light, the Gilles are dressed by their family, as is tradition, and served doubles de Binche – buckwheat pancakes filled with a strong local cheese to prepare them for a day of parading (and drinking!).
DON’T BE HANGRY… BE JOLLY
Historically, February was never just about the pancakes. A famous 16th-century painting by the Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel The Elder shows
