Photos: For Shrove Tuesday, it's all about the pancake

Flipping pancakes
Oby O'Connor, the executive chef at Merlins Rest Pub in Minneapolis served up pancakes to celebrate Shrove Tuesday.
Nikki Tundel | MPR News

There's Fat Tuesday. And Mardi Gras. Then there's Shrove Tuesday. In the United States, it's one of the lesser-known pre-Lent festivities. It revolves around pancakes. Lots of them.

Historically, items like eggs and milk were prohibited during the season of Lent, the 40-day period of abstinence leading up to Easter. The English created the tradition of eating pancakes to use up those items before the start of Lent.

Here in Minnesota, Merlins Rest Pub in Minneapolis and St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in St. Paul both celebrated Shrove Tuesday, each adding its own spin to the Christian ritual.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.