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After the Christmas log ("la bûche de Noël") and the galette des rois, this Friday February 2, we're celebrating another gourmet holiday: Chandeleur. Find out more about its origins and my easy-to-make crepe recipe!
What is "la Chandeleur"?
Candlemas (la "Chandeleur") comes from the Latin candela, meaning "candle". For centuries, Candlemas has been associated with light. It's February, the days are short and light is scarce, so torches and candles are lit to celebrate the season.
Candlemas is still celebrated on February 2, 40 days after Christmas. The tradition dates back to Roman times. At that time, it was customary to burn candles, representing light and the arrival of spring, a symbol of fertility and prosperity. Round cakes (like the Sun) were also made with water and flour from the previous year. Nothing to do with today's crepe recipe, but the basis was the same.
Chandeleur became a Catholic festival around the 6th century, which is why it is celebrated in many countries around the world today. It commemorates the presentation of Jesus, recognized as the light of the people of Israel, at the Temple in Jerusalem.
February 2 around the world 🌍
Most French-speaking countries celebrate Chandeleur, so pancakes are also eaten in French-speaking Switzerland and Belgium.
Luxembourgers celebrate "Liichtmessdag" (day of the blessing of candles). They also eat pancakes, and children go from house to house wishing them health and happiness. They hold a self-made lantern and sing a song to receive sweets.
In the United States, we don't eat pancakes, but we do celebrate "Groundhog Day"! In the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, a groundhog named Phil is lifted into the air. According to legend, if he can see his shadow, winter will last another 6 weeks! A funny way to forecast the weather...
In Mexico, "Día de la Candelaria" is celebrated with "tamales", a cornmeal-based dish stuffed with meat.
The best crepe recipe
Don't confuse pancakes with crepes! The ingredients are the same, but the way they're prepared is different. Crepes are much thinner than pancakes.
Want to impress your friends with a 100% French recipe? Put on your best apron and get cooking!
The ingredients
To make around 15 crepes, you'll need :
250g flour
500mL semi-skimmed milk
3 eggs
20g sugar
30g melted butter
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon rum (optional)
Equipment
You don't need much equipment - it's a very easy recipe! You'll need: two salad bowls (or any other container), a whisk, a frying pan or "crêpière" (a flat pan specially designed for cooking crepes) and a plate.
If you have a blender, that's even better, but not compulsory.
Preparation
Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk. Pour the mixture over the flour, stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon.
Add the melted butter and rum (optional), and mix again.
Leave to rest for 1 hour in the fridge.
💡 Tip: For a smooth dough, mix with an electric mixer.
Cooking
Heat a frying pan or crêpe pan. When the pan is hot, add a knob of butter, spread it over the surface, then pour in a ladleful of pancake batter and swirl the pan to distribute it. After cooking for 1 or 2 minutes, turn the crêpe over with a spatula (or, more technically, by "popping" the pan), and leave to cook on the other side. When the crepe is nicely colored on both sides, transfer it to a plate and repeat the operation until the batter is used up.
If required, here's how to cook them in detail:
A tradition for good luck 🍀
In tradition, you have to pop the first pancake into the pan with your right hand, while holding a "Louis d'or" (an ancient coin) in your left hand. Yes, I admit, it's quite technical.
If the crepe lands correctly in the pan, it means we won't be short of money for the year!
Nowadays, very few people have a gold Louis at home, but any other coin will do 🙂 .
What do you eat crepes with?
They can be eaten plain, but wheat-flour crepes are traditionally eaten sweet. This means spreading jam, sugar, cassonade (a type of brown sugar), Nutella®, honey, melted chocolate... You can also add chopped fruit, whipped cream or even a scoop of ice cream. Anything goes!
But you can also eat "galettes", a type of pancake made with buckwheat flour - also known as "sarrasin". It's a dish typical of Brittany ("la Bretagne", a region in western France). The galette is normally garnished with ham, cheese and a fried egg.
Buckwheat flour is hard to find outside France, so you can make "normal" crêpes and top them with ham and cheese if you want to try the savoury version.
When should you eat crepes?
Pancakes can be eaten for breakfast, as a dessert or as the base of a meal.
On Chandeleur day, for example, the most demanding eat only crêpes for dinner. That's why they're always prepared in large quantities!