Local Customs and Traditions – Shrove Tuesday – aka Malasada Day!

Local Customs and Traditions – Shrove Tuesday – aka Malasada Day!

Mmmmm...malasadas!

Growing up in Kaneo'he, it seemed like everyone was either Catholic or Mormon – but no matter which religion you adhered to, we all enjoyed malasadas on Shrove or Fat Tuesday! First – a little background.....

Mardi Gras has become a festival known for parades, carousing, rich foods and a generally good time. The translation from french into english is “Fat Tuesday.” In Catholic households, all the fats, leavened flour and sugar were to be used up before the beginning of Lent which started on Ash Wednesday. German households created faschnauts, a type of donut. Other Europeans made pancakes and the Portugese made malasadas.

We locals have so much to be thankful for the Portugese influence. They introduced the ukulele, the paniolo cowboy tradition, portugese sausage, pao doce (sweet bread) and malasadas! And while you can get malasadas year-round, they have a special significance on Shrove or Fat Tuesday. I remember relatives, friends and families standing in line long time at Craig's or Agne's Bakery in Kailua for hot fresh malasadas to be shared on Shrove Tuesday.

So on this Mardi Gras, enjoy this local custom by making your own malasadas using this easy recipe  you can find on the recipe tab – you probably have all the ingrediants in your kitchen! Laissez bon temps hana hou – let the good times roll again!

Ho'olau le'a Update

Mahalo to all who attended the Ho'olaule'a to support the Green Cove Springs Food Bank – thanks to your generosity, they collected 818 pounds of canned goods and $145. No word on how many cans of spam were included. Additional mahalos to all the halau and entertainers who shared their song and dance for the attendees – hana hou!