By Justine LACROIX, ESAN University (NEOMA Business School in France)
In France “crêpes” are a typical dish which take the form of a very thin layer of dough made of flour, eggs and milk. It is generally shaped round.
This dish is born in the 18th century in Brittany when French people brought buckwheat back from Asia. In Brittany, savory pancakes are still made of buckwheat flour. The typical savory pancake is called “La galette complète” and it is filled with a mix of ham, cheese and eggs. Naturally, if we want to be a little more original, we can fill the pancake with salmon and cream cheese, mushroom and cream or grilled vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini and peppers. For the purists, a pancake made with buckwheat flour is called a “galette” and not a “crêpe.”
“La galette complète” Photo credit: supertoinette.com
Of course, we also eat sweet pancakes, but they are made with wheat flour instead of buckwheat flour. Concerning the topping of sweet pancakes, it goes from the simplest with sugar, marmalade or spread to the most gourmand with bananas, melted chocolate and whipped cream or cooked apples, salted butter caramel and vanilla ice cream (which is my favorite!).
“crêpe pommes et caramel au beurre salé” Photo credit: Marie Claire Cuisine
In France on every February 2nd we have the tradition to eat pancakes and this celebration is called “La chandeleur.” Originally it was a religious celebration to remember that exactly 40 days after Christmas Mary presented Jesus at the temple for the first time. To commemorate this day, candles were blessed and used in churches to replace torches. The round shape and the golden color of the pancake represented the solar disk and the come back to light. Indeed, at the beginning of February the sun is starting to set a later and later day after days.
Nowadays this tradition perpetuates, so on February 2nd it is very common to make pancakes and invite your family or friends to have a diner entirely composed of savory and sweet pancakes. There is one tradition that goes along with this celebration: you have to hold a coin in your writing hand and a pancake pan in the other hand and then flip the pancake into the air. If you manage to catch the pancake in your pan it is said that your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year.
Obviously, the 2nd of February set aside, French people eat pancakes randomly for diner or as a snack the afternoon. If you want to eat pancakes in France, you can either make your own pancakes at home, go to a specialized restaurant or a Breton restaurant or find a pancake stand at a fairground.
