Happy Birthday, athelind!

[the_gneech]

For your present, here's today's Forgotten English!

zwimmer
A thin, circular pudding, made of flour and water, put into the pot while the other contents are cooking.

-W. H. Long's Dictionary of the Isle of Wight Dialect, 1886

Pancake Day
In Britain, the Tuesday before Lent began was long looked on as a day for preparing and consuming pancakes. Martha Bradley's The British Housewife, or The Cook, Housekeeper's and Gardiner's Companion (1756) offered the following advice for first-time pancake-flippers: "This is a thing very easy to a bold hand, but which a timerous person will never be able to do well. For such a one, she is to know that the first thing to be done is to get rid of her fear, and then a little practice will make it quite familiar. The best way to learn is this: Let a kitchen tablecloth be spread upon the ground at a small distance from the fire, and when the first pancake is ready for turning let the cook try to toss it over the cloth. If it falls in right, it is very well, and if not there is no harm done; it will be catched clean and may do for the servants' table."

All heart, was Martha Bradley.

-The Gneech

Comments

[laurie-robey.livejournal.com]

That's why IHOP is having their free short-stack (with a donation to a charitable organization) day today.

IHOP

[d-l-leonine.livejournal.com]

*shouts from the servents' table*

HEY! Why is there a footprint on my pancake!?

[kylet.livejournal.com]

Can't ANY pudding be circular if you put it in the right container?

[kylet.livejournal.com]

PS. It's always Martha Martha Martha!!

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

*Martha Stewart head on little dog body*

Arugala! Arugala!

-TG

[kylet.livejournal.com]

??????

That was just a Marsha Brady reference I was doing... o.0

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

I saw your Marsha Brady reference, and raised you a Big Trouble reference!

-The Gneech

[kylet.livejournal.com]

Still never seen it...

[larksilver.livejournal.com]

That's ... very strange advice on how to flip a pancake. Although, it is true that you can't go halfway when flipping one; there's a bit of a trick to gently sliding the utensil under and flip! all in one motion. Still, tossing it across the room might not be the very best technique-teaching method.

Zwimmer. Isn't that a relative of that neurotic guy on Friends? hehehe

[canisrufus-uk.livejournal.com]

In Britain, the Tuesday before Lent began was long looked on as a day for preparing and consuming pancakes.

Was?

*looks at plate*

Mmmmmm pancakes......

[panthras.livejournal.com]

*drools* pancaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakes ^_^

[laurie-robey.livejournal.com]

I'm curious. What do Brits put on top of their pancakes?

Depends what ya like ^^

[panthras.livejournal.com]

It can vary from person to person - I remember putting ice-cream and chocolate sauce on them when I was a kid ;) But some people like just the traditional sprinkle of sugar and a dash of lemon juice on top.

Though tonight I used blueberry jam in one of mine - darn tasty ;P

Best savoury one I've seen so far was a Pancake Cannelloni (the stuffed pasta tubes) - though I prefer mine stuffed with crispy bacon and melted cheese *drools*

Re: Depends what ya like ^^

[laurie-robey.livejournal.com]

So, if I ever go to the UK, I'll have to bring along my own bottle of sugar-free syrup. ;)

[camelai.livejournal.com]

haha, awesome! A few days ago I was reading about Mardi Gras on Wikipedia and it mentioned that it was also Pancake Day sooooo... I made my boyfriend make pancakes today :D

[hossblacksilver.livejournal.com]

First off, happy B-day Athelind.

Actually, Pancake day to me is the Thursday the week of St. Patrick's Day. That was when the local Boy's Club in my home town would have it's annual pancake fund-raising sale. One of the big events in Cabarrus County.