Wednesday, 6 March 2019

The end and the beginning

Yesterday was the end of the feasting and today is the beginning of the fasting (or Lent). The end of feasting was traditionally used to finish off any meat or meat products like fat. So, that's what we did yesterday. 

There were some bacon cubes and fat left over from something or other and as in some countries Shrove Tuesday is Pancake Day (UK mainly), I baked pancakes! And because of the bacon and fat they were a lot more scrumptious than the ones I normally have. 

My parents loved them as well, although my father was complaining about the sugar syrup. It's from Zeeland and he is from Friesland, which is the eternal struggle in this household! My mum buys the first, my dad buys the latter and in my opinion they taste okay, but have nothing on the caramel sugar syrup I like!

At the end of dinner (yes, in the Netherlands they can be eaten for dinner), there was one pancake left over and I thought that I would have that one for breakfast this morning. Wrong! My mum is apparently a pancake lover and had eaten the last one while my dad and I ran an errand last night. Washing the dishes afterwards so we wouldn't notice! A right fiendish action!

By the way, our Dutch pancakes are nothing like those American things. There are countless stories of Americans going to a Dutch pancake house and ordering 10 pancakes, thinking that is not many. As one pancake is the size of a good pizza however... And when you go to a pancake restaurant/boat/mill, they don't just come in pancake, there are fillings galore as well. 

Anyway, that was the feasting done, now for the fasting. I think I will try (see what I did: try) to go without chocolate for Lent. It should be possible, albeit quite hard. We will see how I will fare...

16 comments:

  1. Each time I go to Amsterdam I want pancakes, the huge ones but salty with ham and bacon and everything ! It's even hard to eat one, it really is a whole meal. Once Toby took me to a Pancake restaurant and told the waiter in dutch : My nonna loves pancakes can you give her a big one ?" isn't that cute ! And I got a big one. Toby puts also sugar or sweet on it, learned from his mum.

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  2. Those look really good. My Mom was half Swedish/half Norwegian and we often had pancakes for dinner in my youth.

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    1. When my sister and I would get together, we would usually make pancakes. Until I moved in with her of course. We didn't want to eat them every single day!

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  3. Those pancakes look delish! I could never go without chocolate for that long. Good luck.

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  4. Oh my word...now I'm starving. I love pancakes and yours are
    B I G!! And you put bacon in them too?! One would do me too
    I'm a Mrs. Butterworth syrup gal.
    Hugs Cecilia

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  5. Those pancakes look delicious!!! I love to eat pancakes, and ALL OTHER breakfast foods for the matter, at any time of the day! Breakfast at dinner is the best! YUM! Annster's Domain

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    1. We never have pancakes for breakfast, unless they are left over from the night before. Cooked breakfast (eggs, sausages and the likes) are not really Dutch, but I used to eat them for dinner anyway. Or for breakfast if I could find the energy to prepare it before starving!

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  6. Maybe we'll make some pancakes today too! Yummy!

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  7. Good luck on the fasting. The pancakes look and sound yummy. We go to a German restaurant on Easter who makes big pancakes and one is definitely enough!

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  8. I can eat pancake any meal.
    Coffee is on

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    1. But not every day! That would get to be too much!

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  9. We do pancakes on Shrove Tuesday although I missed it this year as it happened a week earlier than I had thought. I may still do it though as I don't do any Lent although I expect we'll do something at Easter.

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  10. Hari OM
    Sorry, missed this post yesterday due to travelling back to the Hutch... I made pancakes for the father on Wednesday morning - with fresh banana, lime juice, a scattering of sugar and greek yoghurt. YUM! YAM xx

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    1. Not sure about those. Probably because I am very set in my ways when it comes to pancakes. My mum would probably love it!

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  11. OH, no, not the last one! Those look so delightful. I want to come to the Netherlands again. Maybe I should just get your recipe. That would be much less expensive.

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    1. Self-raising flour, milk, couple of eggs, pinch of salt. Mix (we don't really go by measurements and do it just by sight and feel).

      But you're always welcome here!

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Any weighty (and not so weighty) comments are welcome!