Pancake Day: see how other countries stack up with their Shrove Tuesday traditions

Pancake Day has a rich history as the day that marks the start of Lent. Always 47 days before Easter Sunday, Shrove Tuesday gives Christians (and anyone else who wants to participate) a chance to use up their leftover food before a period of fasting, prayer, and self-reflection.

Today, Pancake Day remains one of the most anticipated events of the year — and not just in a few countries but all over the world. With many people partaking for religious reasons and others just for the tradition of eating some scrumptious pancakes, it’s a special day to get together with loved ones and indulge in one of the world’s favourite desserts.

This year, Shrove Tuesday is on the 21st of February — so don’t forget to mark it in your calendar. Read on to learn about Pancake Day celebrations around the world and get some inspiration for your own pancake feast.

Pancake Day country to country

While it might seem like Pancake Day celebrations would be similar in different countries due to the shared religious context and the simplicity of the standard pancake recipe, this is far from the case.

Spend Shrove Tuesday in various locations around the world, and you’ll find a fabulous range of batter-based recipes — all related to the standard pancake, yet completely their own.

Here are a few countries with stand-out Pancake Day traditions and recipes.

UK: crepes vs pancakes

In the UK, lots of households partake in eating pancakes on Shrove Day. However, each family has their own tradition when it comes to the kind of pancakes they make — usually a toss-up between thick American-style pancakes or French crepes — and when they eat them. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert are all acceptable.

Spain: savoury tortillas

Instead of tucking into flat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, the Spanish indulge in “dia de la tortilla”, which is similar to an omelette and often prepared with pork. Thick, egg-based, and savoury, eating tortilla is a completely different experience from tucking into a sweet crepe.

Finland: shrove buns

Laskiainen is Finland’s mid-winter sliding festival, which is a fun day of sledge riding. It is closely associated with Shrove Tuesday, and eating “laskiaispulla”, a jam and cream-filled shrove bun, is the norm.

Denmark and Norway: semla

In Scandinavia, they celebrate Fastelavn with a rather gorgeous-looking delicacy. Semla is a sugary sweet roll filled with cream brimming over the top of the bun. It’s as divine as it sounds.

Iceland: meat stew and pönnukökur

“Sprengidagur” (also known as Bursting Day or Fat Tuesday) is the Icelandic tradition where they tuck into salted lamb meat and bean stew, in-line with the day’s name, until you burst. As you might not enjoy meat again until the end of Lent, this is their final day of enjoyment. Many people also eat pönnukökur (pancakes).

Estonia: savoury-sweet balance

Estonians have a balance between sweet and savoury. While they also enjoy semla on Shrove Tuesday, you’ll also find them sipping pea soup. We certainly know which we would prefer out of these options.

Poland: zesty doughnuts

The Polish mark “Fat Thursday” or “Tlusty czwartek” with a delight called paczki, which are essentially filled doughnuts typically topped with orange zest or pieces of candied orange.

Portugal: Portuguese fried dough

On the island of Madeira in Portugal, residents celebrate “Terça-feira Gorda” with malasada or “Portuguese fried dough” — large, doughnut-sized balls of dough that are deep-fried and coated in sugar.

USA: fluffy pancake stacks

Pancake Day isn’t celebrated in the USA in the same way it is in other counties. Instead of designating Shrove Tuesday as a special day for this treat, many Americans eat pancakes throughout the year — particularly at breakfast time.

Instead of creating thin French crepes or European-style doughnuts, Americans typically make thicker, fluffy pancakes and stack them up high for the family to share.

Brazil: Mardis Gras feasts

Brazil (plus some US cities like New Orleans, Italy, and a wealth of other countries) celebrate the two weeks before Shrove Tuesday in the most spectacular way — with Mardi Gras. Colourful parades, masquerade balls, and plenty of feasting form the foundation of these Carnival celebrations.

Travel the world — one pancake at a time

Are you hosting a Pancake Day celebration for your family or friends this year? Use our around-the-world pancake explorations to inspire your Shrove Tuesday creations. Explore your local shops to see if they sell these traditional treats. Or better yet, have a go at making some yourself. Will it be semla, laskiaispulla, or paczki?

Your loved ones will be impressed that you’ve gone to the effort to explore new pancake recipes. If you decide to attempt a few different recipes, you could host one big taste test on Pancake Day. Ask your family and friends to give you their honest feedback. It doesn’t matter if you land on someone’s new favourite treat or realise you need to refine your efforts for next year — it’s all in the celebratory spirit of Shrove Tuesday.

Our favourite pancake day recipes

We’ve found a few recipes for those who like the sound of our round-the-world Shrove Tuesday delicacies.

Take a look at this simple Spanish omelette recipe from The Spruce Eats or this laskiaispulla recipe from Alternative Finland. If you’re tempted by the idea of Scandinavian semla buns, see this recipe by Great British Chefs. And get a glimpse of how the Icelandic make their pönnukökur with Fresh Off The Grid.

If Polish paczki sounds more like your thing, this traditional doughnut recipe from Anna in the Kitchen will help you bake them yourself. Or to attempt Portuguese malasadas, Leite’s Culinaria has published this doughnut recipe. 

Make this year a real treat — luxurious pancake day toppings

You don’t even have to try a completely new pancake recipe to enjoy some new flavours, tastes, and textures. If you’re thinking of getting in a few extra toppings to jazz up your basic pancakes this year, we have a few recommendations for you…

70% Chocolate Batons

To add a dose of silky dark chocolate to your stack, melt and drizzle our rich 70% Dark Chocolate Batons over your pancakes. Simple yet effective.

Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Slab

Our creamy milk chocolate is blended with caramel pieces and sea salt. Melt our Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Slab to add a luxurious drizzling of sweet and salty chocolate to your Pancake Day.

Chocolate truffles

While your pancake is still in the pan, place a few of our chocolate truffles into the cooking batter. When you fold the pancake over (crepe-style), the truffles will melt in the centre. On tucking into your pancake, you’ll experience a sumptuous, oozing core of chocolate.

Which variety of cacao-rich truffle will you go for?

Hazelnut 70% Dark Chocolate Slab

Add a nutty crunch to your pancakes by snapping up our Hazelnut Chocolate Slab and scattering the pieces over your dessert. The chocolate will melt, leaving the nuts to add some fabulous texture.

Raspberry-White Chocolate Batons

For those who adore light, white and fruity chocolate, our zingy Raspberry-White Batons will take your pancakes to the next level. Ideal for melting, a generous drizzle of this chocolate will transform your simple crepe into a creamy dessert.

Celebrate pancake day with Hotel Chocolat

Keen to get started on your Pancake Day preparations? Take a look at our article on how to make perfect chocolate pancakes from our chef David Demaison. Or, if you’re hoping to push the boat out this year, take a look at these six chocolate crepe variations.
For cacao-rich toppings that bring an extra touch of luxury to your treats this Pancake Day, explore our full chocolate collection.