How To Celebrate Pancake Day in Orlando

Ask most Americans what they do for Pancake Day, and you are likely to get some extremely blank looks.

That’s because there is no such day in the American calendar, albeit there is still a celebration on Shrove Tuesday (the day before Lent starts).

If that sounds double-Dutch, that’s because there is a completely different use of terminology on each side of the Atlantic to mark this date in the Christian calendar.

In fact, if truth be told, the origins of what we like to call Pancake Day are probably lost in the mists of time for many of us! But, with this year’s Pancake Day fast approaching (Tuesday, February 21), we thought it worthwhile to dig a bit deeper.

What IS Pancake Day all about?

OK, as a quick historic recap of what we’re talking about, let’s dive into some religious history to see how we all ended up eating pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday each year.

In true Christian circles, Lent (a Latin word for Fortieth) is the 40-day period of fasting, or penitence, that commemorates the period Jesus spent in the desert enduring the temptations of Satan. And, as the final day before Lent, Christians are allowed to stock up on many of the “treats” they are required to give up as part of their Lenten sacrifice for the period.

Traditionally, this meant using up any stocks of butter, eggs and fat, and, in the Middle Ages, this became a custom of making pancakes to empty the pantry of all those obvious temptations.

For the UK, Ireland and many Commonwealth countries, this inevitably led to Shrove Tuesday being permanently nicknamed Pancake Day. But, elsewhere, including the USA, it is known as Fat Tuesday.

So THAT’S what Mardi Gras is all about!

For those who can still remember their French at school, Fat Tuesday is actually translated from the French phrase for this particular day, Mardi Gras. And, as New Orleans (and other parts of the Gulf Coast) were heavily French influenced in the 17th century, the tradition of Mardi Gras, as opposed to Shrove Tuesday, stuck and multiplied.

That’s why Americans still recognise it today as Mardi Gras, even though it is the exact same day as Pancake Day to us!

Now, US traditions for this day – no matter WHAT you call it – are also very different from our own. If anyone has been to Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras Celebration (or if you have read about in our blog), they will know Mardi Gras is observed with a much wider variety of dishes to clear the decks before lent.

These include the delicious King Cake, traditional beignets, shrimp and grits, red beans and rice, and jambalaya. There’s not a pancake in sight. Ironically, there IS a National Pancake Day in America. But it’s in September.

OK, back to Pancake Day

Right, if that’s the style on the US side of the pond, how do we Brits create our own pancake-feasting traditions in Orlando?

While the obvious solution is to recommend a typical pancake-serving restaurant like IHOP, Denny’s, Bob Evans, Perkins or Cracker Barrel, it is not quite so simple.

Just to start with, the typical American pancake – sometimes confusingly referred to as a flapjack or even hotcake – is a good deal thicker than our version. The extra thickness often comes from adding baking powder to the batter, which otherwise is the usual mixture of milk, flour, butter (or oil), eggs and a pinch of salt, although, again, the US recipe may use buttermilk.

And, while our traditional method is just to top the pancake with lemon and sugar, the US version can make it an all-out topping frenzy with different kinds of syrup, fruit, nuts, whipped cream and even chocolate chips.

In most Orlando restaurants, you’ll also find that pancakes come in a stack, covered in syrup and/or butter, as opposed to Britain’s more reserved one-at-a-time approach!

So, where do we go?

If you’re not making pancakes yourself (and, with a great big villa kitchen at your disposal, why not?!), and you don’t mind your pancakes coming in a whomping great stack, then by all means try any of the chain restaurants mentioned above.

They all offer pancakes as an essential breakfast item, and their breakfast menu is typically available all day, hence you can order pancakes for tea or dinner, as the fancy takes you.

IHOP even has its own National Pancake Day, which this year is also on Shrove Tuesday (Feb 21), with a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes per guest, but they also use it to raise money to support local children’s hospitals and other charities.

Two other breakfast/brunch restaurants to look out for are First Watch and Keke’s Breakfast Café, where the offerings are a bit more upscale and more varied, but be aware they usually close at 2.30pm each day, so they are not a tea-time or dinner option.

They will be found in multiple locations throughout the main tourist areas, as well as in places like Champions Gate and close to Posner Park.

As a one-off choice on International Drive, there is also Hash House A Go-Go, a hugely eclectic choice that likes to serve up BIG helpings of everything, including massive pancakes (which they call flapjacks). Sunday to Thursday, they are only open from 7am to 2pm, but on Friday and Saturday they stay open until 7pm.

Crepes not pancakes!

Now, if none of the above are your particular cup of Pancake Day tea, and you prefer the more British style (i.e thin) pancake, then there are still a couple of options left for you.

First, head for Walt Disney World’s Epcot park. Yes, seriously. Got to the rear of the France pavilion in World Showcase and seek out La Creperie de Paris. This lovely French bistro features an array of decadent crepes that really hit the spot for authenticity and flavour, and they are available both inside the restaurant and from the take-away window to one side. We highly recommend the Hazelnut & Chocolate Spread Crepe, by the way!

Alternatively, you can seek out Amorette’s Patisserie at Disney Springs and try the various crepes on their menu, which are equally tasty, and include a decadent strawberry-and-Chantilly-cream version.

Finally, back on I-Drive, if you stop at ICON Park you should try iCafe de Paris, where the crepes are exceedingly generous and suitably delicious. With it being open from 8.30 am to midnight, you will also have plenty of opportunity to make your Pancake Day last a LONG time!

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