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Why do we make pancakes at Chandeleur?
Every February 2, at Chandeleur, it's customary to eat pancakes. Do you know the origins of this culinary tradition? Contrary to popular belief, it hasn't always been linked to the Christian religion. Here's how.
Get out your pancake pans, Chandeleur is coming! Every February 2, young and old alike prepare numerous pancakes to devour together. While for some this culinary tradition has a religious significance, for others it's simply a time to enjoy a family feast. But a long time ago, the crepe had a much more important dimension...
Celebrating the return of light and bringing prosperity
"The crêpe is one of the 'ritual dishes' that return every year, for Chandeleur and Mardi Gras ," recalls Patrick Rambourg, a historian of culinary and food practices. In its early days, estimated to date back to Antiquity, the crêpe did not have the same composition as it does today, but rather resembled a galette. " Then, in the culinary corpus, medieval treatises such as Le Mesnagier de Paris, crêpes were very simple recipes: flour, milk or water, eggs and sometimes beer or white wine", explains the historian.
But why eat them on a specific date? Today, Chandeleur celebrates the forty days after Epiphany, the birth of Christ, but this hasn't always been the case. In fact, it goes back to an ancient Roman festival, the Lupercalia, celebrating Light and the return of longer days, hence the name Chandeleur, referring to candles. "The crepe was said to be round and warm, a symbol of the sun," says Patrick Rambourg. The Roman festival was later Christianized in the Vᵉ century to celebrate Jesus' presentation in the Temple.
Numerous popular traditions also surrounded the holiday. " Pancakes are said to bring prosperity to the home," says the historian. For example, in some households, the first pancake was given to the hens, so that they would lay quality eggs throughout the year. "In the 19th century, we would tap a crêpe on the trunk of a walnut tree to ensure that the tree would give us plenty of nuts," adds Patrick Rambourg.
These traditions may be less common today, but this family celebration is as popular as ever. According to a 2016 Opinion Way study for Bonne Maman, 90% of French people celebrate Chandeleur and, on average, French people eat five crêpes per person (7 for 18-25 year-olds)!
▶ Patrick Rambourg, Historien des pratiques culinaires et alimentaires, "Histoire du Paris gastronomique, du Moyen Âge à nos jours" (Perrin, 2023)
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