The crêpe originated in France, has a long history and is so important that France holds a national crêpe-eating day every year. Let's find out where this festival came from and why it matters.
What Is a Crêpe?
A crêpe is made from wheat flour, eggs, sugar, milk and butter mixed into a batter, then poured into a pan to form a thin round sheet. As it starts to cook, you can add savoury or sweet fillings as you like. Many Thais know crêpes well, because they're sold everywhere as crisp, folded triangles with savoury or sweet fillings and toppings chosen by the customer. But crisp crêpes like these aren't the traditional French style; they're an adaptation.
Traditional Crêpes
The traditional French crêpe is soft and is mostly served folded into a triangle as well. In the past, crêpes were spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar, or filled with fruit, mushrooms, cheese and ham. Today recipes have been adapted to suit modern tastes and local preferences in each region or country. A cooked crêpe is round and golden like the sun, so it became a symbol of the sun, used for fortune-telling in farming communities during the festival of La Chandeleur.
The Origin of La Chandeleur
La Chandeleur, also known as National Crêpe Day, falls on 2 February every year, 40 days after Christmas. On this day the French celebrate by eating all kinds of crêpes in remembrance of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, making it an important religious day for Roman Catholics.
The name La Chandeleur comes from "la chandelle", meaning candle. The festival began in A.D. 472, when Pope Gelasius I established it to celebrate the presentation of Jesus at the temple. On the night of the festival, people would walk in procession holding candles and praying.
After the procession, the faithful would go into the church to take a lit holy candle home, taking care that it didn't go out on the way, because the candle was believed to have great powers. For example, dripping its wax onto an egg was said to make the egg hatch, and lighting it during a storm was said to protect against lightning.
Crêpe Traditions and Superstitions
At the same time, traditions around crêpes were born. It was believed that if you didn't make crêpes on La Chandeleur, that year's wheat crop would become diseased and die. There are also beliefs about gold coins to respect while making crêpes. For example, placing a coin on a crêpe as you cook it is said to bring good luck. In some communities, people hold a coin in their right hand while flipping the crêpe with their left, and must never drop it; if you succeed, you'll have good luck all year. Some people don't eat their finished crêpe at all but hide it in a drawer, believing it will bring good fortune and happiness in the coming year.
Today, the candlelit processions and beliefs about holy candles have faded away, but the tradition of making crêpes on La Chandeleur lives on, thanks to the crêpe's sweet, irresistible flavour.
