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I've curated this list of 13 Fat Tuesday Recipes in conjunction with the episode "A Fat Tuesday Semla Competition with Norwegian Chef Mikko" and Traditional Semla Recipe: Fat Tuesday Cardamom Buns while you make the perfect tasty recipe during these fun and festival Pre-Lent celebrations.

Festivals, carnivals, parades, parties to celebrate the days or weeks before Lent, and my mind immediately turns to the traditional, yet indulgent food associated with this holiday. Whether it's fried cheese triangles (Tiropitas) from Greece or colorful Kings cake from New Orleans, these foods symbolize the abundance and celebration of life before a season of reflection and restraint. The collection of recipes below feature a unique mix of traditional Fat Tuesday foods that you can incorporate into your own celebrations this year.

How To Use This List

Some of the many names of this holiday that you will see throughout this post: Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Carnival (refers more to the period before Lent than the actual day).
There is no way for me to have showcased all of the Festivals and the corresponding recipes that are traditionally eaten during the festivities. As always, if you would like to see a recipe that is not included in this list, please let me know and I will add it to the list!
Make sure to check out the FAQ at the end of this post answering the questions "What is Fat Tuesday?" and "Is Fat Tuesday Religious?".
Each recipe is formatted as the title of the recipe, followed by a "-" symbol and the name of the day or carnival of the country, and finally the "|" symbol and then the blog or person who it is from.
I've split this list into the following categories: South America and Mexico, North America, Western Europe and Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the UK.

South America and Mexico

Perhaps the most famous and exciting part of the world during this festive season. Surely, everyone has heard about Carnival in Rio de Janeiro with the beautiful costumes and parades. Less widely known is the Oruro Carnival in Bolivia, a UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage festival that lasts for ten days and celebrates masks, embroidery, textiles, and traditional food.

Salteñas (Bolivian Baked Empanadas) - Oruro Carnival | Chipa By The Dozen

Salteñas (Bolivian Baked Empanadas) has a sweet and buttery crust and a juicy filling with potatoes, chili peppers, raisins, and olives.

Sancocho o Sopa de Guandú - Barranquilla Carnival | My Colombian Recipes

Sancocho o Sopa de Guandú El Sancocho o Sopa de Guandú es una sopa tradicional colombiana de la costa atlántica del país. Es una sopa espesa, rica y

Coxinhas (Brazilian Chicken Croquettes) - Carnival | Olivia's Cuisine

Learn how to make one of Brazil's most popular dishes with this easy recipe. These crunchy coxinhas are great if served warm and with some ice cold beer!

Picada (Mexico) - Carnaval de Veracruz | Delicious Recipes

Mexican Picada is a typical specialty of Veracruz: tortillas dipped in salsa roja and topped with onions and cheese.

North America

New Orleans is the place to be in the US if you are looking for the most festive and jubilant pre-Lent celebrations. In Quebec, Canada, they also celebrate this season, as showcased in the Quebec Winter Carnival. There you will find huge, intricate ice sculptures, ice canoe racing, and food such as maple taffy (Tire d'Érable) hot maple syrup poured onto the snow and eaten off a popsicle stick, or the beaver tail (shown below) fried bread that resembles a beaver tail, hence the name.

Dutch Oven Jambalaya from Famous Cajun Chef Paul Prudhomme - Mardi Gras | The Storied Recipe

Born one magical night in the Bayou and perfected by John Leekely after long talks with famed Cajun chef, Paul Prudhomme, this authentic Dutch Oven Jambalaya is cooked in one pot so the flavors can mingle and marry.

King Cake Recipe: A Traditional Version - Mardi Gras | Louisiana Woman

A homemade King Cake Recipe with cinnamon sugar swirled into tender sweet bread dough, iced with traditional purple, green, and gold sugars.

Beaver Tails - Québec Winter Carnival | Easy Sweet Canadian Treat

Beaver Tails are the ultimate Canadian carnival food! Light and air dough fried golden brown and coated in cinnamon and sugar!

Western Europe and Mediterranean

The recipes below are from some of the longest standing festivals or Carnivals in the world. In fact, the Patras Carnival in Greece was first celebrated in 1829 and has run ever since. This list showcases the indulgent and unique recipes that each culture eats to usher in the season of Lent.

Tiropita Recipe: Easy Greek Cheese Pie Triangles - Patras Carnival | The Storied Recipe

Tiropitas, or Greek Cheese Pies, are crispy, creamy, salty, parcels of bliss. Five easy ingredients inside an easy-to-fold package of filo (phyllo) dough.

Lasagna di Carnevale (Neopolitan Lasagna) - Martedì Grasso | Inside the Rustic Kitchen

Lasagna di Carnevale is a Neapolitan lasagna traditionally eaten to celebrate Carnevale. It's rich, indulgent and full of incredible flavour.

Faschingskrapfen - German Carnival Donuts - Karneval | Angie's Web

Faschingskrapfen or German Donuts are baked customarily at Fasching (end of February), the time of the German Karneval.

Northern Europe and the UK

Across Northern Europe and the United Kingdom, pre-Lenten celebrations are marked by beloved traditions and treats that highlight the region's rich culinary heritage. From time-honored Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) customs to festive pastries enjoyed during local Carnival celebrations, these recipes showcase the enduring recipes that make the season so special.

Traditional Semla Recipe: Fat Tuesday Cardamom Buns - Fettisdagen | The Storied Recipe

This semla recipe is for airy, fragrant, cardamom-spiced buns. They have hidden pockets of almond paste or jam and are piled high with whipped cream.

Estonian Pea Soup Hernesupp - Vastlapäev | Estonian Cuisine

Vastlapäev, known as Shrove Tuesday in much of the English-speaking world, the Estonians celebrate this day a little differently. Instead of pancakes, we eat split pea soup and the delicious Vastla…

British Shrove Tuesday Pancakes - Shrove Tuesday | Christina's Cucina

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes are a British tradition, better known as the star of Pancake Tuesday. However, they are so delicious, you'll want to have them all year long!

What is Fat Tuesday?

Fat Tuesday always takes place on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which start the 40 day season of Lent. Simply, it is a day of indulgence before a period of fasting. It is called "Fat" because foods with a lot of fat, oil, and sugar are eaten get rid of all of those foods in your house to prepare for Lent.

Is Fat Tuesday Religious?

This is a Catholic holiday, though Catholics and non-Catholics alike celebrate this day with festivals, feasts, and parades. For Catholics, Fat Tuesday serves as a reminder of God's abundance and generosity before the reflective season of Lent begins.

However, as shown in the list above, not all celebrations associated with this season originated with the Catholic tradition. The Oruro Carnival in Bolivia began as a ceremony for the Uru people before Spanish colonization. When the Spanish Catholics banned indigenous religious practices in favor of Catholic ceremonies, many Andean divinities, once celebrated by the Uru, were reinterpreted as Christian saints. Today, the celebration consists of a fusion between Catholic and indigenous Andean traditions, and has been recognized by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

sources: Dynamic Catholic, UNESCO

Fat Tuesday Recipes Around the World