Kinklings are a tradition at our house, passed down from my grandmother to my father, and now to me. I never had my grandmother’s kinklings, but my father talks about them every year, reminiscing about how good there were. I have been fortunate, though, to have tasted by father’s homemade kinklings fresh from the fryer and powered with sugar. Divine.
Here in Maryland, many people celebrate Shrove Tuesday with fastnachts, or kinklings, as they do in Frederick County. It is a way to indulge before Lent and historically, to use up the fat in the house. Across the ocean in the UK, many families traditionally enjoy savory or sweet crepes (they call them pancakes) with onions, or maybe with lemon juice and sugar. Either one is a traditional approach.
NPR states that to ancient Romans, deep-fried treats presented a way to use up all of the butter, sugar and fat in the house prior to the self-denying diets of Lent.
Kinklings from the Jefferson Pastry Shoppe
Kinklings have many different names and variations throughout the world. In Louisiana, for instance, they’re called Beignets: pillows of deep-fried dough. There are many doughnuts of Mardi Gras, including:
-
Fasnacht (Or Fastnacht)
-
Cenci
-
Paczki
Can you guess where they’re from?
Don’t have a kinkling recipe? Try this article at the Frederick News-Post. There are a couple recipes for you to try.
Enjoy your kinklings, and stay warm – this March promises to be a cold and bitter month. We’re all waiting for spring!
Main Street Trolley Flowers and Gifts 