MARDI GRAS. This Tuesday, February 21, 2023, in order to perpetuate the tradition of Mardi Gras, we let you discover the recipes for carnival donuts in France, from the simplest to the most original: nun’s pets, braids or fabulous bugnes from Lyon and wonders of Provence!
[Mis à jour le 21 février 2023 à 13h00] This Tuesday, February 21, we fill our stomachs with good things. And it is an understatement if in France, the regions are full of varied and gourmet culinary specialties. Before Mardi Gras became a pagan holiday that celebrates the end of winter and the rebirth of nature, there was religious significance behind the carnival and donut tradition. As Easter approaches, Christians practice Lent, a period of fasting and prayer that lasts 40 days, like Jesus’ retreat into the desert. Before this long deprivation, a day of plenty preceded the fast: Mardi Gras, the last day on which Christians could eat fat, exhausting all the provisions of eggs and fat that they could not consume during Lent.
From Lille waffles to Niçoise braids, including fruit bats, crouchepettes and other wonders of Provence, there is something for everyone. And for those who have little time to cook, we give you the simple recipe for donut dough, to decorate with chocolate, icing sugar, honey, maple syrup, jam… To each his own. All our recipe ideas below, and get to your stove!
Are you getting into homemade donuts but don’t have much time? We reveal to you the best donut dough recipeeasy and quick (5 minutes of preparation, 15 minutes of cooking!) for homemade donuts that have nothing to envy to regional recipes, with a dough flavored with lemon or orange zest, which is sprinkled with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon or which can be garnished with jam or Nutella… Bon appétit!
Each region has its own Mardi Gras recipe. There is something for all tastes and for all traditions, and of course, each region claims to have the “real” Mardi Gras recipe. It’s up to you to choose from the traditions of our regions of France:
- THE waffles authentic, tasty and crispy in the North, with butter of course! You can garnish them with chocolate, jam or icing sugar.
- In Dunkirk, for the last day of the “Trois Joyeuses”, we eat pancakes, waffles, apple donuts or ch’nord crispswith orange zest.
- THE Bugnes of Lyonspecialties of ancient Rome, which in Italian are called chiacchiere, and which the French wrongly appropriate!
Bugnes are a traditional Mardi Gras recipe that arrived in Lyon in the 16th century thanks to Italian merchants. © larik_malasha / Adobe Stock - THE Nice braidspuffed and crunchy at the same time, famous during the Carnival of Nice.
- THE Pets Of Nun or beugnets in Franche-Comté made with choux pastry fried in a ball.
- THE fruit bats in Strasbourg, with varied geometric shapes, often fluted and flavored with kirsch.
- THE wonders from Provence or Gascony, nicely browned and crispy, with orange blossom.
- THE crochepettes in the Landes, specially inflated donuts.
- THE pellets from Perpignan, or more broadly from Roussillon, light and round.
- THE Bottereaux in Vendée, from a leavened and firm dough.
- THE beugnot in the Vosges.
- THE Headsets in Provence or Corsica.
Do you lack inspiration this year to celebrate Mardi Gras in the rules of gluttony? Find all our best recipe compilations below:
Why do we feast on marvels, bugnes and other donuts (but also waffles, pancakes and churros) at Mardi Gras? According to Nadine Cretin, holiday historian interviewed by Madame Figaro, eating in abundance is traditionally customary on the eve of the Lenten fast, but also on the return of springwith a “feast that included meats and fatty broths and ended with simple pastries: crepes or donuts, bugnes lyonnaises, wonders of Aquitaine or waffles“.
For the one who is also the author of “Festivals of the table and food traditions” (Ed. Le Pérégrinateur) and of “Fête des Fous, Saint-Jean and Belles de Mai. The festivals of the calendar” (Ed. Seuil) the Mardi gras “implied prosperity, fertility, the return of lactation in stables and sheepfolds, the renewal of nature”.
It is in the independent municipalities of Italy that the carnival as we know it today would have been born. Notably in Venice: from the 11th century, the period preceding Lent gave rise to celebrations encouraged by the authorities, who saw it as an opportunity to strengthen civic spirit. Masks appear in the 13th century: they reinforce anonymity and allow excesses. The social roles are reversed, the games and amusements reinforce the animation of the districts.
The Italian tradition is spreading, particularly in central Europe (Switzerland, West Germany, Belgium, northern France) and then in the Americas. Today, all disguises are allowed. Among the most frequent, those from the Commedia dell’arte, a genre of popular Italian theater that appeared in modern times. Harlequin, good living, wears a suit patched with multiple colors, the obsessed old Pantalone walks around with tight stockings, affirming his virility. As for the coarse Polichinelle, he is distinguished by his protruding belly and his falsetto voice…These costumes, designed in the 16th century, allowed the characters to be immediately recognizable to the public, regardless of the theater group or the place of representation… At this time of the year and in memory of this tradition, the stores offering costumes were taken by storm.
Each year, sweet dishes are distributed in schools, to satisfy the taste buds of gourmet children. The latter were also the first to get their hands dirty: at the time, children dressed up to ring the doorbell, in order to gather all the ingredients needed to prepare pancakes, as well as to Candlemas. A recipe that is child’s play: a well of flour, a few whole eggs, butter and (a little) sugar, all gently whisked in with milk. Breton grandmothers recommend adding rum and beer… in moderation!
In 2023, Mardi Gras is set for February 21, a frequent situation because Mardi Gras takes place more in February than in March. The next Mardi Gras dates fall either in February or March, but, as the name of the celebration suggests, always on a Tuesday. What are the exact days concerned until 2025? In 2024, Mardi Gras is set for February 13, followed by March 4, 2025 and February 17, 2026.
Easter comes as always 47 days after Shrove Tuesday. This festival is directly linked to the carnivals that take place around the world. It marks the last day of the festivities, as is the case of the Carnival of Dunkirk which celebrates the last day of the “Trois Joyeuses”.
Mardi Gras did not have the privilege of being a holiday. There are only eleven public holidays in France which are: New Year ; Easter Monday ; Labor Day, Armistice of 1945 And Ascent in May ; Whit Monday in June ; National holiday of July 14; Assumption in August ; Toussaint ; Armistice of November 11 1918 and Christmas.