Why I feel good about Pancake day:
The potential future?
The food industry alone is likely to cause an 80 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, exceeding the current emissions targets for the entire global economy.
Unless we make some radical changes to our diets, the food industry and our excessive meat-eating habits will become the main climate change culprit. Making my past meat eating activities seem somewhat of a selfish hobby.
Happily – It’s pancake day! I can shed my guilt, repent my mean meat-eating ways and ponder my Sustarian sacrifices for the next 40 days!
The Past: Pancake day or more formally known as Shrove Tuesday is the last day for celebration and feasting before the 40 day repentance period where fasting is required leading up to easter. It always falls precisely 47 days before Easter Sunday.
The name “Shrove Tuesday” is derived from the word “shrive”, which means to confess and receive absolution. The name denotes a period of cleansing, a person should bring their lusts and appetites under subjection through abstention and self-sacrifice. Difficult this abstention and sacrifice business, as I’m currently experiencing on my Sustarian Journey.
Shrove Tuesday originated during the Middle Ages. Food items like meats, fats, eggs, milk, and fish were regarded as restricted during Lent. To keep such food from being wasted, many families would have big feasts on Shrove Tuesday in order to consume those items that would inevitably become spoiled during the next forty days. The English tradition of eating pancakes came about as a way to use as much milk, fats, and eggs as possible before Ash Wednesday began.
The present: It got me thinking… can you imagine the impact if everyone worldwide gave up meat & fish for just 40 days! What effect would that have? Not just environmentally but also for individuals. They say it takes 35 consecutive days of not doing something to break a habit. With this in mind, I’m guessing people would learn to live without or at least live with less?
Here are some of the beautiful benefits of being a Sustarian: These caramel covered pancakes with banana & crunchy walnut.
- Pancake mix
- 225g Organic plain flour
- 300ml Organic milk (buttermilk is also nice)
- 2 Organic large eggs
- 30g Organic butter (melted/cooled)
- A handful of walnuts (or a nut of choice)
- 1 large fair trade banana
- A pinch of salt.
- Caramel sauce
- 125g Caster Sugar
- 4 Tbl spoons water
- 70g Organic Double Cream
- 25g Organic Butter
- Start with the Caramel Sauce.
- Place 125g of sugar with the water into a heavy-based pan and heat until sugar has dissolved.
- Boil on high for a further 5 mins. Do not stir or touch. This mixture is extremely hot.
- Once it starts to turn a light golden brown and the consistency visibly changes, remove from the heat.
- Carefully add the butter and cream and mix.
- Allow cooling
- For the Pancakes:
- With the exception of the banana and walnuts, place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Mix together until you have a lump-free batter.
- Heat a heavy-based frying pan with a small amount of vegetable oil
- Add one ladle of batter and spread evenly by manually rotating the pan.
- Once the top of the pancake starts to blister, flip it.
- Repeat until you have used up the mix.
- Arrange the pancakes in a stack, top with banana and walnuts, then pour the caramel sauce on top.
- Enjoy!
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