What’s in a ploye?
That which we call a buckwheat pancake by any other name would taste as
delicious, so a ploye would, were it not a ploye called, retain that dear
perfection, with savory butter or sweet, sweet brown sugar…
Forget Romeo & Juliet.
If William Shakespeare had visited Aroostook County, ME, he would have
written of the beauty of the ploye, the adaptability of the odd-colored
buckwheat pancake, and general yumminess of this local staple.
But what IS a ploye?
Simply put, it’s buckwheat pancake.
It is cooked on one side only- never to be flipped- and served in all
sorts of ways. It can be served with a
pat of butter alongside a stew, or perhaps with some brown or powdered sugar
for an after-dinner treat. Some make it
into a meal, spreading cretons or peanut butter onto a ploye, while others see
it more as a side dish.
Why are we discussing ployes on the Blanchette Family
Reunion blog? No, not just to make you
hungry (but don’t you want one now?)
Because our reunion happens to coincide with the Ploye Festival!
Every summer, the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce
hosts the Ploye Festival. This year, the
festival will be on August 9- the first day of our reunion! The biggest feature of the festival is the “world’s
biggest ploye.” The record is currently
set at 12 feet in diameter. The festival
also features various other activities, and in the past has been home to ploye
wrestling, a ploye eating contest, and craft vendors.
The event is held in downtown Fort Kent, and more details
will come regarding the time and exact location. A visit to the Ploye Festival would be a
tasty way to start reunion day!
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