Pancakes are flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter. Let’s see some amazing facts and trivia about them!
1.The Ancient Greeks made pancakes called τηγανίτης (tēganitēs), ταγηνίτης (tagēnitēs) all words deriving from τάγηνον (tagēnon), “frying pan”.
2. The earliest attested references to tagenias are in the works of the 5th-century BC poets Cratinus and Magnes.
3. Tagenites were made with wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk, and were served for breakfast.
4. Another kind of pancake was σταιτίτης (staititēs), from σταίτινος (staitinos), “of flour or dough of spelt”,derived from σταῖς (stais), “flour of spelt”.
5. Athenaeus mentions, in his Deipnosophistae, staititas topped with honey, sesame, and cheese
6. The Middle English word pancake appears in English in the 15th century.
7. The Ancient Romans called their fried concoctions alia dulcia, Latin for “other sweets”
8. These were much different from what are known as pancakes today.
10 .Pancakes in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia) are known as injera (sometimes transliterated as enjera, budenaa (Oromo), or canjeero (Somali)).
11. Injera is a yeast-risen flatbread with a unique, slightly spongy texture
12. Traditionally, it is made out of teff flour and is a national dish in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Canjeero, also known as lahooh or lahoh, is a similar kind of flatbread eaten in Somalia and Yemen.
13. In Eritrea and Ethiopia, injera are usually served with one or more stews known as wat or with salads (especially, for instance, during periods of Ethiopian Orthodox fasting) or with other injera (injera firfir).
14. The right hand is used to tear small pieces from the injera to use to pick up and eat the stews or salads. The injera under these stews soaks up juices and flavours and, after the stews and salads are finished, is also consumed.
15. Injera thus acts simultaneously as food, eating utensil and plate. When the “tablecloth” formed by the injera is finished, the meal is over.
16. Lahoh is a pancake-like bread originating in Somalia, Djibouti and Yemen
17.It is often eaten along with honey, ghee and tea. During lunch, lahoh is sometimes consumed with curry, soup or stew.
18. In Kenya, pancakes are eaten for breakfast as an alternative to bread. They are served plain with the sugar already added to the batter to sweeten them. Kenyan pancakes are similar to English pancakes and French crepes.
19. A “pancake” in South Africa is a crêpe. In Afrikaans, it is known as a pannekoek (plural pannekoeke) and, traditionally, is prepared on gas stoves and eaten on wet and cold days.
20. Pannekoeke are usually served with cinnamon-flavoured sugar (and, sometimes, lemon juice) that is either allowed to dissolve into and soften them or, if their crispy texture is to be retained, eaten immediately. They are a staple at Dutch Reformed Church fêtes.
21. Plaatkoekies (“flapjacks”, or lit. “plate cookies”) are American-style “silver dollar” pancakes.
22. A variation of the pannekoek is the South African crumpet, made from self-raising flour, eggs, milk and a pinch of salt. The smooth batter is fried in butter to produce a slightly raised flat cake. Crumpets are always served hot, usually for breakfast, with butter and golden syrup.
23. India has many styles of pancake. Variations range from their taste to the main ingredient used. All are made without the use of a raising agent.
24. Pancakes prepared using a north Indian cooking style are known as cheela. Sweet cheela are made using sugar or jaggery with a wheat flour-based batter. North Indian salty pancakes are made using batter prepared from gram flour or green gram paste (moong daal) and are sometimes garnished with paneer, a cottage-style cheese.
25. In Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, pancakes are called palatschinke, palačinka and palacinka, respectively (plural: palatschinken, palačinky, and palacinky)
26. Kaiserschmarrn is an Austrian pancake including raisins, almonds, apple jam or small pieces of apple, split into pieces, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. In Romania, they are called clătită (plural: clătite).
27. In countries of former Yugoslavia, they are called palačinka (plural: palačinke). In these languages, the word derives from the Latin placenta, meaning “cake”.
28. These pancakes are thin and filled with apricot, plum, lingonberry, apple or strawberry jam, chocolate sauce, or hazelnut spread. Eurokrem, Nutella, and Lino-Lada fillings are favourite among the younger population.
29. A traditional version includes filling pancakes with cheese, pouring yoghurt over them, and then baking in an oven.
39. Crêpes, popular in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Portugal, are made from flour, milk, and eggs. They are thin pancakes and are served with a sweet (fruit, ice cream, jam, chocolate spread) or savoury filling (cheese, ham, seafood, spinach)
31. In Francophone Europe, crêpes are often sold in special stands. In Italy they are called crespelle or scrippelle. In Brittany, a galette (or galette bretonne) is a large thin pancake made of buckwheat flour, often cooked on one side only.
32. Crêpes are popular in many South American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. They are consumed with sweet fillings (marmalade, dulce de leche) or with salty fillings (ground meat (Brazil), vegetables, tomato sauce, cheese).
33. They have also become popular East Asian countries, including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and China, where they are sold in crêpe stands and kiosks. They are often served with whipped cream and fruits, or non-sweet spreads such as vegetables.
34. Farinata are popular in Mediterranean regions, including Nice. Also called socca, these are pancakes made from chickpea flour and seasoned with black pepper. They are popular street food in Nice.
35. In the US, Mexico and Canada, the franchised restaurant chain International House of Pancakes (IHOP) serves pancakes all day.
36. The Original Pancake House is another chain of pancake restaurants across the US, and Walker Brothers is a series of pancake houses in the Chicago area that developed as a franchised spin-off of The Original Pancake House.
37. The popularity of pancakes in Australia has spawned the Pancake Parlour and Pancakes on the Rocks franchised restaurants. In British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the restaurant chain De Dutch serves Dutch and Flemish-style pannenkoeken
28. Pancake syndrome is an allergic reaction which some people have after eating pancakes in tropical regions where certain mites can contaminate the flour in pancake
39. Pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday, which is known as “Pancake Day” in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia and “Pancake Tuesday” in Ireland and Scotland. (Shrove Tuesday is better known in the United States, France, and other countries as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.)
40. Historically, pancakes were made on Shrove Tuesday so that the last of the fat or lard was used up before Lent. No meat products should be eaten during Lent.
"A Man in Full" is a new miniseries by David E. Kelley and directed by… Read More
Late Night with the Devil is a 2023 supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited… Read More
Queen of Tears is a popular, successful K-Drama, that became the second highest series in… Read More
"Evil Does Not Exist" is the new film from the Oscar nominated screenwriter and director… Read More
Mufasa: The Lion King is an upcoming American musical drama film directed by Barry Jenkins,… Read More
