Today's the day before Ash Wednesday. We call it Mardi Gras in the United States. The United Kingdom and other countries with an Anglican influence call the day Pancake Day.
Londoners gathered near Spitafelds Market today to race through the street in costumes, stopping to flip pancakes along the course.
The French mark the day with crepes. Today's Paczki Day in Poland, while the Pennsylvania Dutch call today Fausnaught Day. Both are feasting on donuts.
Also called Fat Tuesday, I believe......?
Although its done by now (begins sometime in February and progresses to Mardi Gras day), you might considering featuring (maybe next year?) a great recipe for a King Cake.....the one used in New Orleans that has the little plastic baby in it (used to be a bean but people choked) and whoever gets the piece of King cake with the baby in it makes the next cake and party.
Nice tradition. Yummy cake with mardi gras colored sugar on top.
I introduced friends to King Cake today. One of them from Michigan knew paczki, though. They were kind of freaked out by the baby, but, for me, king cake because a tradition when I was living in the South.
Chicago has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw, so it was hard to avoid the delicious fried fat bombs known as panczki [pronounced punchkey]. You couldn't turn on the TV or radio news without hearing about them.
:) Yeah, that tiny baby in the cake does freak some people out. But the cake is wonderful and the tradition is also.