We’ve taken a look at some of the most surprising pancake facts in celebration of this much-loved occasion.
Today in kitchens across the country, grown-ups and kids will be flipping pancakes in an age-old tradition.
Pancake or Shrove Tuesday is something that’s part of our psyche. And the idea of eating pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday is over 1,000 years old.
Many don’t realise that the reason for this was, in the days before chocolate and crisps, making pancakes was a way of using up rich foods such as eggs, milk and sugar before the fasting season of Lent.
In religious terms, the 40 days of Lent meant eating plainer food and refusing meals that would give pleasure. In many cultures this means no meat, dairy or eggs.
To celebrate Pancake Day 2014, we’ve taken a look at some of the most surprising pancake facts in celebration of this timeless tradition.
1. We've all gone egg mad. It’s estimated that us Brits use an incredible 52 million eggs come Pancake Day (that's unbelievable!) which is 22 million more than on a regular day.
2. Archaeological evidence suggests that pancakes date back to prehistoric times (yes, when dinosaurs ruled the earth) as one of the earliest and widespread cereal food known! We wonder if the dinosaurs got in on the pancake action?
3. The most watched pancake-related video on YouTube is of cartoon character Pingu and his family making pancakes - awwwh! It's been watched over 10 million times and counting.
4. The largest number of pancakes tossed in the shortest amount of time is 349 tosses in two minutes, which was achieved by Dean Gould at Felixstowe, Suffolk in 1995.
5. Pancakes were originally invented as a way of using up all the leftover fatty and rich foods before Lent began on Ash Wednesday – whoever thought of that idea was an utter ledge!
6. It’s the norm in France to touch the handle of the frying pan and make a wish while the pancake is turned, holding a coin in one hand.
7. One of the oldest pancake traditions takes place in Olney, Buckinghamshire and dates back to 1445. On Shrove Tuesday, at the sound of the church bell, local housewives race with their pancake and frying pan to the church. This tradition still carries on today and the Olney pancake race has become one of the most famous pancake races in the world.
8. The longest race in the quickest time was held in Melbourne, Australia. Jan Stickland covered 384m in 59.5 seconds on 19 February 1985.
9. The largest pancake ever made and flipped measured 15.01m wide, 2.5cm deep and weighed three tonnes. It was made in Rochdale, Greater Manchester during August 1994. Did they use a crane or something?
10. The most flips anyone has even done with a pancake is 349 flips in two minutes, which set the bar pretty high as far as world records go - good luck to anyone who tries to beat that!
11. The largest stack of pancakes was made up of 60 huge pancakes and measured a remarkable 76cm tall which broke the Guinness World Records in 2012.
12. The first pancake ever made in the Midlands was fed to chickens to ensure they had perfect fertility throughout the year!
13. Spanish baker Orlando Vazques made the largest pancake making machine in 2012 which cooked around 1000 pancakes an hour. Well, if you've got guests coming round...
14. Looks like someone has taken pancake decorating a little too seriously... Artist Michael Goudeau decided to take his pancakes to the next level on Pancake Day and carved a recreation of 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch. Now that's flippin' marvellous!
15. Ever heard of the pancake rabbit? Well, when the Easter bunny is on vacation he turns into the pancake bunny who balances pancakes on his head! First spotted on a Japanese blog, Oolong the balancing bunny became a viral hit in 2010 getting over 2.5 million page impressions for owner Hironori's blog. A book was published soon after dedicated to the ball of fur - awwh!
via:http://www.gonedigging.co.uk/blog/2014/02/18/15-flippin-fabulous-pancake-day-facts/
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