Pancake

Pancake is a thin, flat cake prepared from butter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Pancakes exist in several variations in many different local cuisines. Most pancakes are quick breads, though some are made using a yeast-raised or fermented butter. Pancakes can be eaten at different times of the day depending on local traditions. In the USA, it is typically eaten at breakfast or as brunch. It is also binner (breakfast for dinner). In the Middle Ages, pancakes also known as frayse, became associated with Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day, which is the last Tuesday before Lent when rich foods may not be eaten. Therefore, people used up all of their rich ingredients, for instance milk and eggs, before the fast so that they did not go to waste. Shrove Tuesday occurs the first Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, usually February 2nd or March 9th. It officially ends the season of Epiphany and is the vigil for the starting of Lent.