What are we eating for Mardi Gras 2023? Regional specialties
By Manon C. Photos by My B. Posted on January 16, 2023 at 11:51 p.m.
One could easily say that there are as many different donut recipes and names as there are regions in France. Don’t believe us? A quick overview of the different donuts in France, on the occasion of Mardi Gras 2023, on February 21!
This year, Mardi Gras falls on February 21, 2023. This date marks the end of Carnival, there “week of the seven fat days“, before the Lentwhich begins the following Wednesday, called the Ash Wednesday. Also, before fasting for 40 days, it was customary to “to get fat” in the countries of Christian religionthat is to say to have fun with the rich foods which would be banned the next day until Easter.
This day of festivitiesbringing together a large number of people, thus made it possible touse reserves of oil, butter, eggs and milk in inexpensive and quickly prepared pastry preparations, which can easily regale Mardi Gras attendees. Thus was born the tradition of eating, on this day, waffles and pancakesbut especially the essentials donuts.
Diminutive of the word “doughnut”, the word “doughnut” dates from the 13th century. At the time, the latter already designated a “ball of dough fried in butter”. You may not know it, but the donut varies depending on the region of France in which it is prepared. It’s very simple, from Provence to Brittany, via Lorraine and Gascony, each region and each terroir have their own idea of donutwith a recipe that varies slightly each time – but we often stay on a dough based on flour-milk-eggs-butter – and a name all its own!
Whether they are round, triangular or in the shape of diamonds ; plain, sweet or thickets with jam or chocolate; whether they are crispy or on the contrary ultra-soft ; and prepared with choux pastry, of Raised dough or of brioche doughdonuts make us crack!
A brief overview of different donuts in France !
- The pellets in Catalan countries
- The Bugnes in Lyon, Saint-Etienne or in Savoie
- The Bottereaux in Anjou, in Poitou but also in the Nantes region in Brittany
- The fregis frills in Provence
- The corvechets in Lorraine
- The croquignoles in Anjou and Orléans
- The wonders in Bordeaux, in Gascony, in Charente and Charente-Maritime and in Limousin
- The Headsets in Languedoc, Provence and Aveyron
- The Pets Of Nun in Franche Comte
- The fruit bats in Alsace
And for the do it yourself at hometake a look at the best recipes from chefs!
So what do we call them donuts in your area ?
