Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is one of the most popular days of the year in the UK, and rightly so. It is an opportunity to celebrate and gorge on as many sweet (or savoury) pancakes as you like before lent, with supermarkets already lining their aisles with everything you need from blueberries, strawberries, eggs, Nutella to gluten-free flour. However, it’s not just the UK where you can dive headfirst into the wonders of pancakes, with different traditions, styles and servings available all over the world. Global online platform ToursByLocals are on hand to provide travellers with some local experiences to indulge in for this year’s celebrations or to whip up an appetite for further wanderlust adventures.
PISA:
Combine culture and cuisine on this half-day foodie tour of Pisa, including tasting a ‘cecina’, which is a traditional chickpea flour and deliciously salty street-food pancake famous in the region, washed down with a glass of wine of the Pisan Hills before sampling local ice cream.
www.toursbylocals.com/Pisa-
AMSTERDAM:
Go Dutch this Pancake Day! Enjoy traditional Dutch pancakes on the canals as part of this complete Amsterdam experience. Dutch pancakes, or Pannenkoeken, are typically large, whole-pan size thin pancakes, but not quite as thin as French crêpes. Fuel up on the delicious batter before heading to the Rijksmuseum to marvel at the best works from the seventeenth-century Dutch masters on this immersive tour.
www.toursbylocals.com/canal-
PARIS:
Guests can explore the Latin Quarter in Paris with a local guide Marc who was born just a stone’s throw from the Palace of Versailles. Parisian food is the order of the day on this fully customisable tour and the itinerary includes a stop in one of the best creperies in the area.
NHA TRANG:
Feel the city vibe and taste delicious street food including a unique Vietnamese seafood pancake, Bánh Xèo, and sweet mini-pancakes on this private tour of Nha Trang with a local guide. Bánh means cake while xèo means sizzle and the name refers to the deliciously loud sound the rice batter makes when it is poured into the hot skillet.
BUDAPEST:
Pancakes are just the start on this mammoth culinary tour of Hungary’s capital. Gulyas, langos, strudel, winter salami are all on the menu in this incredible market hall tour. Budapest was called the ‘Paris of the east’ and is often overlooked in regards to sweet treats. Expert local guide Melinda is here to dispel all foodie myths and immerse travellers into a destination that she knows like the back of her hand.
