To celebrate Shrove Tuesday or Laskiaistiistai as it is called in Finland, we have had a bit of Finnish Shrove Tuesday'isms and also part British.
In Finland the tradition is to have Laskiainen pulla (buns)... with cream and jam - served a bit like a scone (but nowhere near so nice as scones are) the bun is more bread like. Then Finns also serve a traditional Pea soup.
We didn't have the buns today, but did have the Pea soup. We really like that but I have to admit to cheating. We buy it tinned! It comes condensed and once reconstituted, we have it with some chopped ham topping. This is known as Hernekeitto.
Here is a link for Finnish Shrove Tuesday recipes!
http://www.finnguide.fi/calendar/shrovrec.asp
Wikipedia tells that the origin of the word Laskiainen is derived propably from latin "carne lasciare" ("leaving the meat out", as the fast began on ash wednesday). It also is celebrated in a carnival like manner, as most of the schools and universities end the days teaching at midday and the students and children wil go out and find a hill or anyplace you can slide down something where they gather to play in the snow. In cities with universities the university students usualy have a big party in the evening.
After our Pea soup, we had the best bit!! Lemon pancakes! My sons girlfriend, who is Finnish, definitely gave the Brit version the thumbs up. She couldnt believe that something so simple tasted so good. :D She ate three.. and this is a teenage girl that doesnt normally eat so much! :D Praise indeed...
Here is my favourite recipe for pancakes - which you can also use for yorkshire pudding.. but it relys on having a Tupperware quickshake or some other shaker that is marked for 500ml of fluid.
In the body of the quickshake put:
250ml Milk
2 Eggs
Add the quickshake whisk gadget and the lid and shake.
Reopen and then add plain flour right up as far as you can go - no measuring.
Put the lid back on and shake thoroughly.
Thats it!!! So easy, simple and CLEAN!!!
Happy Pancake Days... :D
And in case any non english are reading this.. and would like to know more about British tradtions for Pancake day and more.. here are a couple of great links.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/shrove.html
It also has a regular pancake recipe there too..for those who do not have a Tupperware Quickshake!
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/pancakeday/recipe.html
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