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Today is Mardi Gras! A day of revelry and partying – of delicious foods and pageantry!
What is Mardi Gras?
The term, “Mardi Gras” is French for Fat Tuesday. But what is Fat Tuesday? It’s the day before the start of lent. The name, “fat”, is because all the fats in the house are used up in preparation for the lent season, typically a time of fasting.
This is the culmination of the Carnival celebrations in the countries with Roman Catholic roots. The Carnival season usually begins on Twelfth Night (the Epiphany) and lasts about three weeks. And the last day is wild celebrations – day and night.
During this celebration there are parades and partying – beads are handed out in the colors of gold (power), green (faith) and purple (justice). It’s a time of indulgences, masquerade balls and fancy, formal parties.
What Foods are Traditional?
Celebratory foods that are traditional here in the U.S. are foods that are synonymous of New Orleans southern comfort.
The King cake
A must for any Fat Tuesday party. King Cake is only available during Mardi Gras – a brioche style cake filled with cinnamon and sugar and decorated with the traditional colors. What makes the cake special is the plastic baby that is baked inside. The lucky person that finds it in their piece gets to provide the cake (or the whole party) the next time!
Pancakes
Historically, all animal products and sugar are given up during lent. Pancakes are perfect for using up the milk, eggs and butter before Ash Wednesday. Here are some delicious Caramel Apple Pancakes!
Gumbo
This dish is perfect for feeding a crowd – a large communal dish that is traditional in New Orleans.
Jambalaya
A delicious mix of seafood, chicken and sausage, this dish a Mardi Gras tradition. Similar to gumbo, but the rice is cooked into the dish, not on the side and okra is not in this dish. It also uses up those meats before the lent season forbids them!
Fried Okra
Okra is a southern staple. Although not particularly “mardi gras” food, it’s screams New Orleans and fits into any Mardi Gras party in the U.S.! And I love the stuff!! How about some fried?
Crawfish
Since crawfish season is running at its peak during the Mardi Gras season. It makes it the perfect dish for a party this time of year!
Make one or two – or make them all! Just make sure you enjoy the celebration!
© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome
I love all these recipes, they look so delicious and look so easy to make. I can’t wait to try this at home!
Thank you for putting together those traditional Mardi Gras foods! I can’t wait to try!
What a great collection of recipes – everything looks so delicious! The first one I want to try is the fried okra. Okra isn’t something I have eaten a lot of, and this looks like a delicious way to enjoy it. Thanks for the inspiration!
i didn’t know Mardi Gras has such fun dishes. thanks for sharing the
There are so many good ones here, I can’t wait to get started and try them out. Thank you for sharing this.
Happy Mardi Gras! Your food spread looks incredible! From jambalaya to king cake, you’ve got all the essentials for a fantastic party. Thanks for sharing these mouthwatering dishes! Let the good times roll!