During the spring of the year when lent is at hand and Easter is a mere 10 weeks away pancakes are on many peoples minds. The Tuesday before lent begins is traditionally pancake Tuesday. The origins of pancake Tuesday go back to when eggs, sugar and butter were not allowed during lent so people needed to use up these ingredients before lent began. Since eggs, sugar and butter are primary ingredients in pancakes we now have pancake Tuesday.

Pancakes are one of those foods that are found cross culturally around the world. They can be found in Egypt as a sweet deep fried treat, in England folded in half with lemon juice and sugar and in the United States stacked high on a plate topped with butter and maple syrup.

The variations are endless when it comes to pancakes. Two of the most popular types of American style pancakes are the Buttermilk Pancake and the Blueberry Pancake. Buttermilk pancakes have a sweet tang to there taste that comes from using buttermilk in the batter. If buttermilk is not on hand in your refrigerator you can easily substitute 1 cup of milk with scant tablespoon white vinegar for the buttermilk. Simply whisk the vinegar into the milk and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes. The milk will thicken slightly and then be ready for mixing in the batter.

Blueberry pancakes are tricky when trying to mix in the blueberries. Blueberries have a tendency to break when mixed in pancake batter so care has to be taken or your pancake batter will turn purplish grey in color. An easy solution for this is to leave the blueberries separate and simply sprinkle them into the pancake batter just after the batter has been placed on the griddle.

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet recipes. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. Sign up for her newsletter and learn more about Gourmayeats Weekly Recipe Club at http://www.gourmayeats.com