Bugnes, beignets, crêpes: our Mardi Gras favourites

Anne Debbasch | 2/13/24, 11:03 AM

Chandeleur, Mardi Gras, Carnaval - every region has its own way of celebrating this festive time of year in February. It's a time for sharing sweet treats with family and friends - pancakes, of course, but that's not all!

Bugnes, beignets, ganses, nuns' farts, bottereaux - the aim has always been to use up one's supply of eggs and butter before the start of Lent. What do all these preparations have in common? A batter similar to pancake batter, which is fried or baked, and in terms of recipes, every region has its own! Pancakes remain a common specialty, symbolizing sunshine and abundance, and it's customary to blow the first pancake with the right hand while holding a gold coin in the left to ensure prosperity and wealth! So get your euros. ..

Bugnes, Maison Bernachon

At Bernachon, bugnes are an institution, with a recipe unchanged since 1953. "We offer two types of bugnes, the crunchier flat ones with lemon zest and the softer ones enriched with crushed candied oranges.As a snack, I like the soft bugnes, which I accompany with a pear cider from Maison Bordelet," confides Philippe Bernachon.

42 cours Franklin Roosevelt, Lyon
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Crepes, Benoît Castel

No Chandeleur without crêpes at Benoit Castel. He appreciates them so much that he offers them in almost every sauce in his grocery store L'Alimentation: ready-made crêpebatter, galette batter, boxed crêpes Suzette orplaincrêpes. The choice is yours! Here, youdon't have to put inthe work - just reach out and enjoy!

150 rue de Ménilmontant, Paris
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Ganses, Serge Serain

Ganses are a specialty of southern France. Unlike bugnes made with baker's yeast, ganses are made with baking powder. The dough is flavored with organic Menton lemon, then die-cut to a length of 4 cm. Each piece of dough is then turned like a shoelace before being deep-fried to obtain a crisp, crumbly texture. "After frying, the ganses are drained and sprinkled with crystal sugar. You can eat them without counting the calories! "

Pâtisserie Nouvelle Cappa 7 Place Garibaldi, Nice
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Bottereaux, La Doréenne

Anthony Gaboriau prepares them for Mardi Gras following his grandmother's recipe. "I remember the salad bowls she used to make, and we found them really excellent. The recipe is simple: flour, butter, eggs, baking powder and a little milk. I let the dough rest overnight before rolling it out and cutting out rhombuses about 5 cm in size. The buns are then fried.I keep the first one for myself and eat it rolled in granulated sugar."At La Doréenne, bottereaux are sold sprinkled with powdered sugar. Very tender, they can be eaten plain, or split in two and filled with a little spread.

42 rue Bressigny Angers
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Beignets, L'Enfariné

In Alsace, Mardi Gras is celebrated in style with fasnachts kiechle. A specialty eaten as a snack during Carnival and the weeks leading up to it. "It's a type of brioche dough made from organic T65 flour, the special feature of which is that it's fried," explains Olivier, the bakery's founder. A kind of doughnut to enjoy without guilt!