Pancake Day - Pancakes Around the World

Today is Shrove Tuesday, also known in the UK as Pancake Day. Although many countries throughout the world celebrate this day differently, some throw festivals or have carnival processions, I thought that I would focus this blog on pancakes, because of the universality of this food.  If we look at the world’s cuisine, we find that many countries have their own versions of pancakes.

The French Crepe – These are probably one of the world’s most famous pancakes, thin paper-like pancakes, cooked on hot griddles in the street. They can be eaten savoury - with fromage (cheese) or sweet – smothered in Nutella.

American – American pancakes are big, fluffy and thick. They are usually sweet and are eaten for breakfast; they can be made with an array of ingredients from blueberries to chocolate chips and are often covered in maple syrup.

English – Pancakes from the England are somewhere in between the French crepe and the American fluffy pancake and are almost always eaten sprinkled with sugar and sprayed with lemon juice. On Pancake Day some towns and villages have pancake races, where people dress up and run through the streets tossing pancakes in a frying pan.

Chinese – Chinese pancakes are an essential accompaniment to that world famous Chinese dish – Crispy Peking Duck. These pancakes are thin and made without egg and milk; and are just a simple flour and water dough. They also have that all-important flavour of sesame oil.

German – German pancakes are large, puffy and light. These pancakes are baked in the oven instead of cooked in a frying pan or griddle. They can be eaten with powdered sugar or are often made with potato or apple. 

Dutch – The Dutch are also world renowned for their pancakes, these pancakes are as big as pizzas. They are kind of similar to the German pancakes, but made in frying pan and can be eaten with a large variety of toppings.

Scotch – The Scottish make their pancakes small and puffy, in Scotland they are often referred to as drop scones. After they are made, they are great toasted and most often eaten with butter and jam.

Mexican – Mexican pancakes are like flat dough balls and are usually fried in a little more oil than other pancakes. They are traditionally served when they are a deep golden brown colour and smothered in honey.

This morning I decided to go for the American chocolate chip pancakes (I couldn’t resist). I also made some American gingerbread pancakes, which were a new one for me, both topped with homemade honey and cinnamon syrup. Here’s the pic. If you want to make these click here to find the recipe.

P.S. Happy International Women’s Day! Here’s to all the inspirational women out there. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkp4t5NYzVM