Lent Approaching
Mardi Gras is a special moment in the year. For Christians preparing for Lent, it marks a festive occasion before the 40-day period of fasting and abstinence that precedes Easter celebrations, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday.
End-of-winter celebrations have been known since Roman times. In Christian tradition, Lent refers to the 40 days that Christ spent in the desert. Hence, believers are expected to eat “lean” during this period. The tradition of celebrating Mardi Gras, it seems, originates from the fête de la quémande in medieval France. People would dress up in costumes and celebrate the last “fat” days, both in villages and urban centers. Many villages still maintain these festive customs today.
Mentions of these celebrations also appear in early New France; Mardi Gras was then nicknamed the Quaresme prenant in the 17th-century Journal des Jésuites. It involved gatherings with elaborate feasting, notably the Mardi Gras Ball.
Several carnivals are linked to winter festivities. Among them, the Quebec Winter Carnival takes place in February; the Rio Carnival in Brazil runs from March 1–9; and the New Orleans festivities start in January, peaking in the week before March 5. One cannot overlook the carnivals of Nice, France, or Venice, Italy, famous for their sumptuous costumes and masks.
Mardi Gras is also—above all! —a time to indulge in rich foods. Many culinary traditions are linked to these celebrations and continue today in various European countries, both in communities and within families.
Culinary Traditions Abroad
France
Donuts, waffles, and crepes are commonly associated with traditional Mardi Gras foods. In France, there are as many names as there are recipes, depending on the region. In the Dijon area, these donuts are called fantaisies or gargaisses (garguesses), in Lyon they are called bugnes, in Alsace roussettes, and other regions may refer to them as merveilles, pets-de-nonne, or beugnets.
These recipes reflect a culinary know-how generally passed down by women. Mothers and grandmothers continue to share, within their families, the secrets of making these delicious treats.
United States
In New Orleans, alongside the rich Cajun cuisine, the King Cake (not to be confused with the French Galette des Rois, though they share similarities) is a Mardi Gras tradition. This cake is enjoyed from Epiphany (January 6) until Mardi Gras (this year March 5).
There are many variations of the cake, often shaped like a crown and decorated with icing in Mardi Gras colors: purple, gold, and green, representing justice, power, and faith. A figurine is hidden inside; whoever finds it becomes king or queen for the day and is obliged to buy the next year’s King Cake.
England
In Anglo-Saxon countries, Mardi Gras is called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. As you might guess, pancakes are the traditional food, often distributed by churches or community organizations. In some English towns, pancake races are even held. These are just a few of the many culinary customs associated with Mardi Gras worldwide.
Persistent Traditions
In Quebec, these culinary traditions are less widespread but still recognized. One can easily buy or make a Galette des Rois at the beginning of January. Crepes prepared on La Chandeleur (February 2), a longstanding European culinary tradition, have been replaced in North America by a slightly more whimsical tradition—Groundhog Day. Not very culinary here!
As for traditional Mardi Gras donuts, there’s no shortage of recipes! They are less commercially available in Quebec, unlike the Galette des Rois, which is widely sold. Otherwise, I hope you know someone who preserves these family culinary traditions and will share that joy with you!
