La Fête Avec des Crêpes -The Crepe Festival
Originally Mardi Gras had been started by the Romans to celebrate the
many pleasures of life. Eventually the Christian church stepped in and
asked that it be changed to celebrate the beginning of Lent.
Traditionally in France have been served on this day and it is
customary to make a wish while flipping a crêpe in a frying pan with a
coin in the hand that is holding the pan to ensure good luck and
happiness in the future. Originally the dish was known as galette crêpe.
In some rural areas farmers would give crêpes to their land owners as a
sign of loyalty.
I remember celebrating Mardi Gras when I was in elementary school in
France. Two weeks before we would begin creating our costumes in class.
On Mardi Gras day we would wear our costumes and have a party with the
other students. We were allowed to drink juice and eat cake, candies,
and crêpes. At home my mother and grandmother would cook during the
afternoon and then have a large dinner with our family. As a child I
would be allowed to add the ingredients together and mix them. And as I
grew older I was allowed to pour the batter into the pan and flip the
crêpe, although this did take a while to learn.
According to the Webster’s Dictionary a crêpe is a thin pancake. Anyone
who’s had the opportunity to go to Paris knows that crêpes are wholly
different from pancakes. If the number of crêpe vendors on Paris street
corners is an indication of their good taste, then it’s safe to say
they’re delicious. Last February my husband, who is American, was
fortunate enough to go to Paris. Having never eaten a crêpe before he
wanted to see what he was missing. He enjoyed them so much that he was
stopping at every vendor he met on our walk, tasting not only the sugar
coated ones, but also the chocolate and the jelly covered ones. For
only 10 francs, why not?
Some regions of France are famous for their particular style of crêpes
like tantimolle of Champagne, landimolles of Picardy, and chialades of
Argonne. In the Auvergne, Lorraine, and Lyonnais districts, crêpe
batter is often enriched finely sliced or puréed potatoes for dishes
like bourriols, criques, and matafans.*
Typically crêpes are served warm and are filled with a thick sauce. If
you are interested in the style served on the streets of Paris, just
serve it plain with a light coating of powdered sugar, chocolate sauce,
or some jam, and fold it in half twice.
-Veronique
*Larousse Gastronomique, 1988
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