Shrove Tuesday

     On the Church calender today is Shrove Tuesday.  Around the world it known by a variety of different names.  In New Orleans it is Mardi Gras and in Rio de Janero it is Carnival.  But in the region of the Pennsylvania Dutch it is Fastnacht Day.

   Fastnachts are still a winter staple and on Shrove Tuesday fastnacht baking is a way of life in which the Pennsylvania Germans celebrate their ethnicity, more than merely attending a religious service it is a folk life practice that is far more personal.  The yeast raised cakes made by the Haus Frau are cut into squares, triangles or rectangles and set to rise by the cast iron kitchen stove.

     One popular recipe calls for mixing the dough with mashed potatoes, giving the yeast raised fastnachts a distinctive flavor.  And the aroma of the fried dough permeates the entire house, awakening the family to a seasonal treat.  Traditionally, fastnacht do not have a hole in it, but may be slit through the middle so that a jelly filling could be placed inside.  And although the tradition is to rid the house of flour that might be used to bake goodies during the season of Lent, fastnachts can be enjoyed long past Ash Wednesday as long as they last.  But we of the culture all know, they don't last very long!