- Pancakes are an inexpensive and easy-to-make food that uses a flour-based batter fried in a pan and cooked one side at a time. Generally, they are shaped like disks, feel like cake and taste like bread. But pancakes have much more potential than the average loaf of bread in that the methods in which they are cooked represent a wide array of international cultures.
- Pancakes have been a popular food for at least 600 years, though likely longer. According to Alan Davidson, in his book, "Oxford Companion to Food," fried pancakes were presented in the fourth century Roman cookbook, "Apicius." By the 1400s, pancakes were already a familiar food in culinary manuscripts.
- Pancakes are quite a celebrated treat among certain cultures. In America and Canada, diners and pancake houses dedicate much of their marketing to featured pancake recipes. The International House of Pancakes is a restaurant chain with thousands of stores that serve pancakes 24 hours a day. In Great Britain, Australia, and Canada, "Pancake Day," otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday, marks the day before Christian Lent begins. This tradition began in medieval times as a way of using up all the forbidden foods of Lent. Since 1445 A.D., a customary pancake race is held, where runners carry pancakes in pans that they flip up into the air as they run.
- In America and Canada, pancakes are known as either pancakes, hot cakes or flapjacks. These types are typically made with baking powder to make them fluffy and sugar for a sweeter flavor. North American pancakes are mostly served for breakfast and topped with butter, maple syrup, honey, fruit or whipped cream. Fancy recipes add fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips to the batter prior to frying. English pancake batter is thinner and made without a rising agent, which makes the pancakes flatter. Sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar, these pancakes make great desserts. When baked as a pudding, English pancakes can also be served as a side dish to go with dinner. French pancakes, called crepes, are made similarly to the English variety, but they are typically stuffed--much like a taco--with cream or fruit or even meat. India has perhaps the most unique variety of pancakes. One type is dosa, which is made from a fermented rice and cereal batter. Dosa is fried and crispy and served as a side dish to meals. Korean jeon is also very different from the traditional breakfast pancake. Jeon is made more like a omelet, with meats and onions, but contains the same basic flour and egg batter as other pancakes. Jeon is normally served as an appetizer but can be made sweet as a dessert. With the endless number of recipes available, pancakes can be made for every taste. If you are looking for a sweet breakfast item, try the fluffy North American style, adding fruit or cream or sugar for added sweetness. Crepe-style pancakes of England and France are great if you're more interested in what's in the pancake than the pancake itself. For more savory flavors, find an Asian pancake recipe of Indian, Korean, or Vietnamese cuisine.
- Pancakes are great for big sit-down meals, but they can also be quite portable, particularly if no toppings are required. This makes them a great breakfast for early morning road trips and an excellent meal for camp outs. When camping, just bring a plastic bag full of flour, a tin of condensed milk and a couple of eggs and fry them over a campfire. More conveniently, the batter can be mixed ahead of time and packed in a water bottle to be used throughout the trip. Pancakes can also be fun for unique, early morning parties either at home or at the office. Have the batter and frying pan ready and lay out a spread of toppings for everyone to choose. Nutritionally, pancakes can be a bit high in sodium and fat, depending on how they are made. However, they are a good source of calcium, phosphorous, riboflavin and protein. The flexibility of pancake recipes allow you to improve the nutritional value by replacing white flour with wheat, reducing the amount of sugar, and using a healthier source of oil.
