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Mumbai memories of Pancake Tuesday

 





The evening snack was among my most cherished memories of childhood growing up in Mumbai. That was how the transition from a grueling day at school happened. Once the overstuffed backpack was dropped on the floor, and the school uniform stained from playground tussles lay in a crumpled heap in the laundry basket, the tea-time snack was laid out. This mini-meal readied us kids for the solid two hours of screaming, running and frolicking around the neighborhood. Usually this snack would be something simple to accompany the customary evening cup of chai, most commonly, a biscuit for dunking, or a slice of bread and butter with a sprinkling of sugar. But one day in the year, I would come home to a most memorable treat; Mom's famous Coconut Pancakes.

The pancake making process seemed to be quite the ordeal. There on the kitchen counter would be a big bowl of batter being poured by the ladleful into a hot non-stick pan. Then Mom would expertly swirl the pan in a circular motion to make a perfect round crepe. 
The crepe was perfectly cooked when it readily released its position from the pan, allowing itself to slide off on to the cutting board. Another ladleful of batter would be swirled in and the pan placed back on the stove, while she would proceed to stuff the thin round crepe with a sweet coconut filling. This all would be rolled with the sides tucked in to form a perfect package; the coconut pancake. These parcels would be collected in a stack, and further sauteed in butter to get crispy brown on the outside, mildly warm and fluffy on the insides. "It's Pancake Tuesday", Christian Moms in the neighborhood would say, reminding the kids that Easter will be here soon. 

Pancake Tuesday is the last hurrah before the start of Lent. It also goes by the name Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras (French). For christians, this is the 47 day period of fasting, penance and prayer in preparation for Easter. It was only later that I understood why Pancakes on this day. Around 600 AD, there was a ban in Christian countries prohibiting the consumption meat and animal products during the season of Lent. In order to use up the eggs and milk, pancakes were made; ideal vehicles to use up the excess fatty items stored in the kitchen. This grew into the traditional festivities of Mardi Gras, something we all have come to know so well and follow till today.

Pancake Tuesday was another reminder of my identity. Growing up in a half muslim half christian household, it was the food that helped me understand which religion was being observed at what time. Pancake Tuesday meant that soon, there would be many treats to follow; hot cross buns, steamed gontwaal beans and Easter eggs made of marzipan. It also meant that over the next month, there would be excruciatingly long  services and religious observations at church to endure. I stopped practicing religion a long time ago, but it is these traditions that I remember fondly. These memories stay alive because of the many foods that came along with. 

Since the world celebrates Pancake Tuesday today, I think it's time to call Mom, and get the recipe for her Coconut stuffed Pancakes.


Location: Oakland, CA, USA

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