Why People Eat Pancakes
on Shrove Tuesday Feb. 25, 2020, is Mardi Gras, also known as
Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday. It takes place before Christians observe
the start of Lent, leading up to Easter. But the day has another
familiar name: Pancake Day. The tradition of eating pancakes on
this day stems from about A.D. 600, when Pope St. Gregory prohibited Christians from eating meat and animal products during Lent. In an effort to use up their eggs, milk and butter
before Lent, Christians would make pancakes. The tradition spread throughout Europe,
prompting the French to follow a similar direction
by making waffles, crepes and king cake. They deemed the day
to be called Mardi Gras. The English called
it Pancake Day.