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MARDI GRAS
MARDI GRAS AROUND THE WORLD
Belgium
The country’s most famous celebration takes place in the
small town of Binche, in the French-speaking region of
Wallonia. Carnival here dates back to the 14th century.
Brazil
Music and dancing, particularly the samba, are the
highlights of Rio de Janeiro’s carnival, the world’s largest
with more than two million revelers a day. In Salvador, axé
Afro-Brazilian music performed by Bahian drummers sets
the tone — and the beat — for the city’s million-strong,
week-long street party.
Cape Verde Islands
Caribbean Islands
Carnival is popular in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti,
and especially Trinidad and Tobago. And while carnival
celebrations around the world traditionally end on Fat
Tuesday, in Kingston, Jamaica, the party lasts a little longer,
extending through Easter.
Columbia
Croatia
Denmark
Italy
The first masquerade ball took place in medieval Italy
(Carnival of Venice is famous for its masks). Masking and
other Carnival traditions that began in Italy rolled over to
nearby France, Spain and Portugal. From there they spread
to French, Spanish and Portuguese colonies in North
America, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Republic of
Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa.
France
Like Spain and Portugal, France’s carnival history can be
traced back to Italy. The Nice Carnival, which dates back to
1294, is one of the most elaborate celebrations attracting
over a million visitors during a two-week period. Carnaval de
Paris with its procession of street dancers, puppeteers, and
stilt walkers gave us the tradition of the Boeuf Gras float.
Germany
The first modern Carnival parade took place in Cologne,
Germany.
Greece
Luxemoborg
Poland
Portugal
Quebec, Canada
Russia
Spain
•
Substitute part of the mayo with sour cream and add fresh chopped dill for a
savory variation.
•
Switch the yellow mustard for Creole mustard and add a tad bit of Tony
Chachere’s for something spicy.
•
Use honey mustard instead of yellow mustard and add chopped bacon or
Pancetta.These will fly!
Bryan loves choices — make-your-own Bloody Marys, top-your-own po-
boys, king and queen cakes ... I’m the same way. I was raised that more is more
especially when it comes to food, soI approach it as if I’m setting up a deviled
egg tasting. I usually bring at least three variations and my eggs are always a big
conversation at parties.
FAT TUESDAY
F
at Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, is the last day to enjoy rich, fatty
foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season begins. Here on the
Gulf Coast,we associate king cakes with FatTuesday, but around the world,
fried dough — beignets, donuts and pancakes — are a more popular way to use
up the last of the butter, lard and sugar forbidden by Catholic fasting practices. In
Poland, they eat
pączki
, which are essentially
jam-filled donuts. Spain has their
buñuelos
.
Belgians make
oliebollen
or
smoutebollen
,
typically with raisins. The Portuguese (and
Hawaiians) consume sugar-dusted donut
balls called
malasada
. German’s fry yeasty
Fastnachts
, or “fast-nights.” In Italy, they eat
cenci
and
castagnoles
, and in Venice, Italy,
home of the oldest masquerade ball, they eat
fried round donuts — frittelle di Carnevale
with raisins and pinenuts (
veneziane
), filled
an egg-based custard (
zabaione
) or filled with
a thick pastry cream (
crema pasticcera
). And
in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia
and Canada, where Fat Tuesday is known
as Pancake Day, they eat — what else? —
pancakes.