From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pancakes are a type of flatbread prepared from a sweet batter that is cooked on a hot griddle or in a frying pan. They exist in several variations in many different local cuisines. Most pancakes are quick breads, although some are also made using a yeast-raised or fermented batter.

Contents 1 Regional varieties 1.1 North America 1.2 Europe 1.3 Africa 1.4 Asia 2 Details 3 Pancake Day 4 See also 5 Footnotes 6 External links

Regional varieties

North America

American or Canadian pancakes contain a raising agent, usually baking powder, and contains different proportions of eggs, flour, and milk or buttermilk, which create a thick batter. Cinnamon and sugar can be added. This batter is either ladled or poured onto a hot surface, and spreads to form a circle about ¼ or ⅓ inch (1 cm) thick. The raising agent causes bubbles to rise to the uncooked side of the pancake, at which point the pancake is ready to be flipped. These pancakes, very light in texture, are often served at breakfast topped with maple syrup, butter, peanut butter or fruit. In England pancakes are usually made differently, and those made as described here are called American pancakes.

North American pancakes can be made sweet or savory by adding ingredients such as blueberries, strawberries, cheese, bacon, bananas or chocolate chips to the batter. In addition, some recipes call for the addition of spices such as nutmeg or cinnamon, or flavoring agents such as vanilla extract. In the U.S. pancakes are also be called hotcakes, griddlecakes, or flapjacks. A "silver dollar" pancake refers to a pancake about 3 inches (7 cm) in diameter - these are usually served in portions of five or ten.

Vermont pancakes usually have oatmeal or buckwheat flour added to the wheat flour, and require more baking powder to rise. The texture is coarser and the flavor more intense.

Pancakes described as "German" or Dutch baby pancakes served in American pancake houses are shaped like a bowl, and come in a range of sizes. Some are large enough to be almost impossible for one person to finish. They are commonly eaten with lemons and powdered sugar, although jam and caramelized apples are sometimes used as well.

In Mexico, they are generally called "hotcakes" rather than "pancakes." Similar in style to pancakes served in the U.S., hotcakes are more often made with cornmeal as well as or instead of wheat flour. Hotcakes are popular breakfast items at restaurants throughout the country, and are often sold by street vendors in cities and during the local celebrations of small towns through the day and evening; the vendors usually sell a single hotcake topped with different sauces such as condensed milk, fruit jam or a sweet goat milk spread called "cajeta."

Europe

In England pancakes have three key ingredients: plain flour, eggs, and milk. The batter is quite runny and forms a thin layer on the bottom of the frying pan when the pan is tilted. It may form some bubbles during cooking, which results in a pale pancake with dark spots where the bubbles were, but the pancake does not rise. These pancakes may be eaten as a sweet dessert with the traditional topping of lemon juice and sugar, or wrapped around savory stuffings and eaten as a main course. When baked instead of fried, this batter rises because the air beaten into the batter expands, without the need for baking powder, the result is known as Yorkshire pudding. English pancakes are similar to French crêpes, and Italian crespelle, but are not "lacy" in appearance. English pancakes can be stuffed after cooking with a wide variety of sweet or savory fillings. Both versions can be sweetened after cooking by pouring on syrup or sprinkling with powdered sugar.

In Scotland and Ireland pancakes, locally known as drop scones, pancakes or griddle cakes, are more like the American type and are served as such (see below). Scottish pancakes are made from self-raising flour, eggs, sugar and milk with Irish pancakes being made with soda-flour and buttermilk.

Pancakes similar to the North American pancake but smaller (usually about 3.5 in / 9 cm in diameter) are known in the UK as Scotch pancakes or drop-scones (after the traditional method of dropping batter onto a griddle (a girdle in Scots)), and in northern England, Australia and New Zealand as pikelets. They can be served with jam and cream or just with butter. In Scotland pancakes are served at teatime or as a dessert, not at breakfast. They are made plain and as fruit pancakes with raisins. In Scotland larger thinner teacakes made to a similar recipe are called crumpets. These are cooked on the girdle on one side until browned, then lightly cooked on the other side. Both Scotch pancakes and crumpets can be made with plain flour and baking soda as an alternative to self-raising flour.^[1]

French crêpes, popular in France, Canada, and Brazil (where they may be called pancakes or crêpes) are made from flour, milk, and eggs. They are thin and are usually served with a large amount of sweet or savoury filling, ranging from fruit and/or ice cream, to seafood (in Brazil, most usually ground meat).

Pancakes eaten in Germany are the same as English pancakes. In some regions they are called Pfannkuchen; in others (Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxonia) pfannkuchen are Berliners, a type of doughnut, and pancakes are called Eierkuchen. In Swabia sliced pancake strips (Flädle) are often served in soup.

In Netherlands, pancakes are called Pannenkoeken and eaten at dinnertime. Pancake restaurants are popular family restaurants and serve many varieties of sweet, savory, and stuffed pancakes. Pannenkoek are slightly thicker than crepes and usually quite large (12" or more) in diameter. The batter is egg-based and the fillings can include sliced apples, cheese, ham, bacon, candied ginger and many other ingredients - alone or in combination - as well as "stroop", a thick syrup. One classical Dutch filling is a combination of bacon and stroop.

In Austria pancakes are called Palatschinken, a word derived from Latin placenta by way of Romanian, and are usually filled with apricot jam, chocolate sauce or hazelnut spread. Similar pancakes with similar names can be found throughout the former Austria-Hungary (today Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia), see Palatschinken.

Scandinavian pancakes are similar to English pancakes. They are often served with jam and/or ice cream or whipped cream, and sometimes as a main dish with a variety of savory fillings. Traditional Swedish variations can be somewhat exotic. Plättar resemble tiny English pancakes, and are fried several at a time in a special pan. Others resemble German pancakes but include fried pork in the batter; these are baked in an oven. Potato pancakes called raggmunk contain shredded raw potato, and may contain other vegetables (sometimes the pancake batter is omitted, producing rårakor). Raggmunk and rårakor traditionally eaten with pork rinds and/or lingonberry jam. Norwegians like their pancakes with sugar or blueberry jam, and they are often served with hot soup. Norwegians eat a great deal of rice pudding/porridge - leftovers from this can be made into small pancakes called "lapper".

In Russia, Poland and Ukraine, blintz and blini are made from wheat or buckwheat flour, yeast, butter, eggs and milk. Blini cooking has an ancient history in Russia dating back to the pagan traditions and feasts.

In Hungary, palacsinta is made from flour, milk and/or soda water, sugar, and eggs and served as a main dish or as a dessert, depending on the filling. Sweet wine can also be added to the batter.

Africa

Pancakes in South African are similar to English pancakes. They are traditionally prepared by the Afrikaans community on gas-stoves, and called pannekoek in Afrikaans, often eaten on wet and cold days. Pannekoek are most commonly served with cinnamon-flavored sugar^[2] (and sometimes lemon juice); the sugar may be left to dissolve onto the pancake; if eaten immediately the pancake has a crispy texture. This is a staple at Dutch Reformed Church fetes.^[3] American-style "silver dollar" pancakes are also eaten in South Africa, where they are known as "plaatkoekies".

Asia

In Malaysia and Singapore, a pancake-like snack known as Apom Balik (in Malay) or Mee Chian Kuih（面煎粿 in Chinese). The chinese version is made with a filling, traditionally ground peanut with sugar, sweetened coconut, or red bean paste, and increasingly also with cheese, kaya (egg jam or coconut cream custard), blueberry or chocolate. There are other interesting variations, such as those made with soya bean milk replacing egg and water. The malay version (Apom Balik) frequently has sweet corn and condensed milk as filling.

In Philippines, pancakes are also served with syrup (maple or imitation corn syrup) margarine and sugar or condensed milk. Usually, they are served for breakfast, but there are some stalls selling smaller pancakes with margarine and sugar on top for snacking.

In Vietnamese cuisine, there is a wide variety of traditional pancakes; these include bánh xèo and bánh khọt in southern Vietnam, and bánh căn and bánh khoái in central Vietnam.

In India, Dosa can be said to be an Indian pancake. A great variety of pancakes made with different type of flour and with different fillings and accompaniments are eaten. It is prepared by fermenting of rice batter. Many other ingredients like black gram are added to suit each person's taste.

Banana pancakes, in particular, are a popular menu item in Western-oriented backpackers' cafes in many Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, India, and China.

Details

Pancakes are comparable to waffles without syrup traps, although waffles often contain more eggs and are cooked in a waffle iron. Most types of pancakes, but not the Breton galette, are cooked one side at a time on a griddle and flipped halfway through the cooking process to cook the other side of the pancake. The process of tossing or flipping is part of the essence of the pancake, and one of the skills that separates the experienced cook from the beginner.

In Canada and the United States, the pancake is usually a breakfast food, but it is so popular that a franchised restaurant formerly called International House of Pancakes, now referred to as IHOP, has more than 1000 restaurants serving at all hours of the day. A "pancake supper" can be a social event (in the manner of an ice cream social or barbecue), with pancakes served at dinnertime. Pancake suppers are sometimes held as fund raisers.

In Australia and Britain, pancakes are eaten as a dessert, or served savory with a main meal. They can sometimes be eaten as a main meal (the savory variety, also known as crepes), as they are in the U.S. and Canada. It is so popular that franchised restaurants called Pancake Palour and Pancakes on the Rocks are present.

In Sweden and Finland, it is traditional to eat yellow pea soup followed by pancakes on Thursdays.

A smaller pancake, often called a "silver dollar" pancake, is sometimes used in the creation of hors d'oeuvres in place of crackers or other bread-like items.

Pancake Day

Main article: Shrove Tuesday

In Canada,^[4] the United Kingdom,^[5] Ireland,^[6] and Australia,^[7] pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday, which is also known as "Pancake Day" and, particularly in Ireland, as "Pancake Tuesday". (Shrove Tuesday is better known in the United States, France and other countries as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.) Historically, pancakes were made on Shrove Tuesday so that the last of the fatty and rich foods could be used up before Lent.

It is traditional to turn pancakes over by tossing them in the air using the pan and without using any other implements. This is a tricky manoeuvre that requires practice to perfect.

Charity or school events are often organized on Pancake Day. One popular event is a "pancake race" in which each participant carries a pancake in a frying pan. All runners must toss their pancakes as they run and catch them in the frying pan. This event is said to have originated in the town of Olney, England in 1444 when a housewife was still busy frying pancakes to eat before the Lenten fast when she heard the bells of St Peter and St Paul's Church calling her to the Shriving Service. Eager to get to church, she ran out of her house still holding the frying pan complete with pancake, and still wearing her apron and headscarf. Pancake Day is widely celebrated in Australia; ready-made pancake mixes often sell out.

Every Shrove Tuesday since 1950 the towns of Olney, England and Liberal, Kansas, USA have competed in the International Pancake Race. Only local women may compete; they race along a previously agreed course and their times are compared to determine the international winner.

See also

• Thin pancakes:
  • Blintz
  • Crêpe
  • Galette
• Tortilla
• Dutch baby pancake
• Dorayaki

Footnotes

External links

• History of the Olney, England pancake race
• foodtimeline.org - History of the pancake