Pancake Tuesday

Today is Pancake Tuesday!! I wasn't familiar with this concept, but apparently in Ireland it is a tradition to eat pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday. Also known as Mardi Gras, this is a day in which people indulge and eat a lot of rich food in preparation for the penitential season of Lent.

In Portugal we celebrate Carnival on this day, but apparently that celebration isn't very popular around here. I totally understand not wanting to participate in a parade with very reduced outfits in this cold, I really do...

But back to the pancakes. Pancakes are delicious. I absolutely love them, especially with maple syrup... But here pancakes have a not so small extra to go with the syrup. I've been told that a very popular way of eating pancakes here is with bacon and maple syrup. They even sell bacon soaked in maple syrup in stores! This concept was so strange to me... I don't really like mixing sweets with food and I frankly thought I'd feel sick if I tried it. But when in Rome... So I tried pancakes with loads of bacon all dressed in maple syrup. The verdict? Divine!! It's so, so good! I don't know why I haven't tried this before. I'm definitely incorporating this dish into my Carnival celebrations from now on!

My  homemade sweet and salty pancakes