A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan. Archaeological evidence suggests that pancakes were probably eaten in prehistoric societies.
The pancake's shape and structure varies worldwide. In England, pancakes are often unleavened and are thin. In Scotland and North America, a leavening agent is used (typically baking powder) creating a thick fluffy pancake. A crêpe is a thin pancake of Breton origin cooked on one or both sides in a special pan or crepe maker to achieve a lacelike network of fine bubbles. A variation originating from southeast Europe is palatschinke, a thin moist pancake fried on both sides and filled with jam, cream cheese, chocolate, or ground walnuts, but many other fillings—sweet or savoury—can also be used.
Commercially prepared pancake mixes are available in some countries. Like waffles, commercially prepared frozen pancakes are available from companies like Eggo. When buttermilk is used in place of or in addition to milk, the pancake develops a tart flavor and becomes known as a buttermilk pancake, which is common in Scotland, Ireland and the US. Buckwheat flour can be used in a pancake batter, making for a type of buckwheat pancake, a category that includes blini, kaletez, ploye, and memil-buchimgae. When potato is used as a major portion of the batter, the result is a potato pancake.
Pancakes may be served at any time of the day or year with a variety of toppings or fillings, but they have developed associations with particular times and toppings in different regions. In North America, they are typically considered a breakfast food and serve a similar function to waffles. In Britain and the Commonwealth, they are associated with Shrove Tuesday, commonly known as "Pancake Day", when, historically, perishable ingredients had to be used up before the fasting period of Lent.
History
The Ancient Greeks made pancakes called τηγανίτης (tēganitēs), ταγηνίτης (tagēnitēs)ταγηνίτης , Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus or ταγηνίας (tagēnias),ταγηνίας , Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus all words deriving from τάγηνον (tagēnon), "frying pan".τάγηνον , Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus The earliest attested references to tagenias are in the works of the 5th-century BC poets CratinusCratinus, 125, Comicorum Atticorum Fragmenta and Magnes.Magnes, 1 Tagenites were made with wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk, and were served for breakfast.Eugenia Salza Prina Ricotti, Meals and recipes from ancient Greece, J. Paul Getty Museum, 2007, p. 111Dalby, Andrew (1996) Siren feasts: a history of food and gastronomy in Greece, Routledge, p. 91Spiller, Gene A. (1991) The Mediterranean diets in health and disease, AVI/Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1991, p. 34 Another kind of pancake was σταιτίτης (staititēs), from σταίτινος (staitinos), "of flour or dough of spelt",σταίτινος , Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus derived from σταῖς (stais), "flour of spelt".σταῖς , Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Athenaeus mentions, in his Deipnosophistae, staititas topped with honey, sesame, and cheese.Atheneaus (2003), The Deipnosophists, 646b , on PerseusAndrew Dalby, Food in the ancient world from A to Z, Routledge, p. 71Athenaeus and Olson, S. Douglas (2011) The Learned Banqueters, Volume VII: Books 13.594b-14, Loeb Classical Library, pp. 277–278 The Middle English word pancake appears in English in the 15th century.Pancake - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster DictionaryPancake . Online Etymology Dictionary
The Ancient Romans called their fried concoctions alia dulcia, Latin for "other sweets". These were quite different from what are known as pancakes today.
Regional varieties
Africa
Horn of Africa Pancakes in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia) are known as injera (sometimes transliterated as enjera, budenaa (Oromo), or canjeero (Somali)). Injera is a yeast-risen flatbread with a unique, slightly spongy texture. Traditionally, it is made out of teff flour and is a national dish in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Canjeero, also known as lahooh, laxoox, or lahoh, is a similar kind of flatbread eaten in Somalia and Yemen.
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). 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. Injera thus acts simultaneously as food, eating utensil, and plate. When the "tablecloth" formed by the injera is finished, the meal is over.
Lahoh is a pancake-like bread originating in Somalia, Djibouti and Yemen.Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye (2001), Culture and Customs of Somalia, Greenwood Press, p. 113.Hassan, Elham, , News Varieties, 16 October 2004. It is often eaten along with honey, ghee and tea. During lunch, lahoh is sometimes consumed with curry, soup or stew.
Kenya 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.
South Africa 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. 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.Boer op ons werf at landbou.com (via archive.org).
Plaatkoekies ("flapjacks", or lit. "plate cookies") are American-style "silver dollar" pancakes.
Uganda In Uganda, Kabalagala are banana pancakes made from very ripe ndizi bananas and cassava flour. The pancakes are locally made with bananas (one of the staple foods of the country) and usually served as a breakfast or as a snack option. The steamed version is called Ebwanga. East Asia China Chinese pancakes may be either savoury or sweet, and are generally made with dough rather than batter. The dough mostly consists of water, flour, and vegetable oil. The dish can be served as a side, usually alongside duck, or as a snack, topped with scallions along with hot and sour sauce.
Japan
In Japan, okonomiyaki are made from flour, egg, cabbage and a choice of ingredients. Oyaki are pancakes often stuffed with anko, eggplant, or nozawana. Dorayaki are a sort of sandwich made from Western-style pancakes and anko. Sweet crepes are also very popular.
The Japanese have also created a soufflé-style cooked-in rings-pancake, which is taller and fluffier than the American pancakes it is inspired by, and found in Singapore, Toronto, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
In Okinawa Prefecture, pancakes include (). is a thin, very simple Okinawan pancake-like dish similar to buchimgae. The ingredients consist of eggs, flour, salt, black pepper and green onions, fried with a little oil in a pan. It is basically "a savory Okinawan crepe with leeks", and is sometimes called "Okinawan style okonomiyaki". The name means "fry flat" in the Okinawan language. People usually cook the dish at home, so there are few specialty shops in Okinawa serving .
Korea In Korea, pancakes include savoury buchimgae (Korean pancakes) and jeon (egged and battered pan-fries, sometime pancakes), bindae-tteok (pan-fried mung bean cakes), as well as sweet hotteok (filled sweet pancakes). These may be served at all times of the day as side dishes or just snacks. Variants of the dish use the batter of the pancake to make deep fried vegetables, meat, or fish.
South Asia India India has many styles of pancake. Variations range from their taste to the main ingredient used. All are made without the use of added raising agents. In north India, pancakes are called cheela. Sweet cheela are made using sugar or jaggery with a wheat flour-based batter. Savory north Indian pancakes are made using batter prepared from gram flour or green gram paste (moong daal) and are sometimes garnished with paneer, a type of cottage cheese.
Dosa, appam, neer dosa and uttapam are pancakes from southern India. They are prepared by fermenting rice batter and split-skinned urad bean (black lentil) blended with water. Meetha pooda – sweet pancakes often eaten with pickles and chutney – are a common breakfast food item in Punjab. Most of the pitha in Assam are types of pancakes served on occasions such as Bihu. The Bengali semi-sweet pancake pati-shapta is stuffed with grated coconut or thickened milk.
In Western India, the multi-grain thalipeeth is popular. In Goa, a traditional crêpe-like pancake known as alebele or alle belle is eaten at tea-time. It is usually filled with jaggery and coconut. In Eastern India, malpuas are sometimes prepared in the form of pancakes. In some regions of central India, thin green Cheelas are made with ginger or garlic paste, and rice flour batter. Other ingredients added are salt, cumin seeds, green chili, oil, curry leaves and coriander leaves.
Nepal In Nepal, the Newar people have a savoury rice pancake called chataamari cooked with meat or eggs on top. This dish is also known as the Newari Pizza, as it is served and eaten similarly to American pizza. Besides being served with meat or eggs, it can also be served plain.
Bangladesh
Chitoi pitha is a popular Bangladeshi steamed pancake made from rice flour. It is a traditional dish often enjoyed during festivals and special occasions. The batter is typically made with a blend of rice flour, water, and sometimes other ingredients like coconut milk or jaggery. The batter is then poured into a heated pan or mold and steamed until cooked through. Chitoi pitha is often served with sweet toppings like jaggery or molasses, or savory accompaniments such as lentil curry or fish curry.
Pakistan In Pakistani cuisine, rishiki is a pancake, slightly thicker than a crepe, which is made from whole wheat flour, water and eggs and usually served with honey. It is widely consumed in the far north and is a staple of Chitrali cuisine.
Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Coconut Pancakes or පොල් පැණි පෑන්කේක් (pol pani pancake) are spiced sweet coconut filling wrapped in a thin crepe, which is made from flour, eggs and coconut milk, with turmeric added to give a yellow color.
Southeast Asia Banana pancakes are a menu item in backpacker-oriented cafes in Southeast Asia. This has given rise to the term Banana Pancake Trail or Banana Pancake Circuit, given to the growing routes travelled by backpackers across Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Indonesia Pancakes in Indonesia are called panekuk. The Indonesian pancake serabi is made from rice flour and coconut milk. The dish is often served with kinca, a thick, brown-colored coconut sugar syrup. Other toppings may include sugar, ground peanuts, sliced bananas, jackfruit, and other fruits, and chocolate. Other variations include cheddar cheese, corned beef, shredded chicken, and sausage.
Other types of pancakes in Indonesia are burgo, dadar gulung, kue ape, kue apem, kue cubit, kue cucur, kue leker, kue terang bulan, laklak, martabak, pannenkoek, poffertjes, roti canai, and roti jala.
Malaysia