Today is Pancake Tuesday, and I am looking forward to making pancakes for dinner.
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| Often my 'pancakes' look like this, but not today! |
Back in the day before food that comes from a can or supermarkets, or refrigeration Back when what you had to eat was what you grew yourself. Back then, this time of year is the time when food is scares. It's a period when the pantry is barren and there isn't much food to be had anywhere. Not in the fields, not in the hedge rows, not in the cellar.
In a few weeks, the new shoots will come out on the hedge rows, which are very tasty to snack on. The ground will thaw and we can dig up roots. But in the mean time, for a traditional, agricultural society, it's a time to tighten the belt and be frugal with your food.
Which isn't such a bad thing, especially when you think about how much weight people put on in the fall and winter, especially in an agricultural society, but even in our modern age as well. It's natural to stock up (both in the pantry and the belly) for winter, then sluff it off during the trim time in the spring.
But as sort of a last haza, it's nice to eat up all the eggs and other foodstuff that are at risk of going off after a long winter storage.
In some parts of Europe it's hot cross buns, in other's it was some other eggy bread, and in some places (like much of England and Scotland), it was pancakes.
As for me, well, I'm not picky. I'll accept any excuse to make pancakes, and if I can make them for diner, so much the better.
What I need now is a good recipe. A recipe for sourdough pancakes.
What I would like to make for dinner tonight is sourdough drop scones style pancakes, but to find a recipe that isn't too sour and not too rich, that only makes enough for 2 to 3 people, and not an entire army and their camp following. That's going to be a challange.
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