If there is any food, since prehistoric times which has been carried over in families and homes to the present day; it has to be batter rich and poured on plate, ready to be eaten when done. Called by various names across the globe, pancake (a.k.a. hotcake, griddlecake or flapjack) has been a constant item on the breakfast or comfort foods menu both across the East and the West as well North and South. While the structure and components vary across the globe, the essential ingredient of cereal based flour (wheat, buckwheat, oats, rice and so on) in the batter leavened or unleavened has been the central theme of almost all the pancakes across the homes and diners world-wide. As food changes as per the local flavours, pancakes even when called by different names can be made either sweet or savoury but is essentially akin to quick breads or flat breads. While its’ not only by proportions, but also by the local available flavours each type of pancake has their own story to tell and cuisine to belong to.
Flour. Baking Powder. Sugar. Milk. Eggs. Butter. Pinch of Salt. Mix, Pour and heat. Pancakes are ready.
The toppings added varies according to seasons and availability. Kaiserschmarrn is an Austrian pancake with raisins, almonds, apple jam or small pieces of apple, split into pieces, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. They can be made thin and filled with jam, chocolate sauce or hazelnut spread. A traditional version includes filling pancakes with cheese, pouring yogurt over them, and then baking in an oven. While Æbleskiver are traditional spherical shaped Danish pancakes, Ålandspannkaka made in Finland is an extra thick variety of oven-made pancake which includes the addition of cardamom and either rice pudding or semolina porridge to the dough.
Flour. Milk. Eggs. Pour and then Crêpes are ready. They are very thin pancakes that are served with a sweet (fruit, ice cream, jam, chocolate spread) or savoury filling (cheese, ham, seafood, spinach). In some places, galette (or galette bretonne) is prepared which is a large thin pancake made of buckwheat flour, often cooked on one side only. Farinata ( also known as socca) are pancakes made from chickpea flour and black pepper as seasoning and are quite popular in the Mediterranean regions. In South Africa, a “pancake” is a crêpe known as a pannekoek. Pannekoeke are usually served with cinnamon-flavoured sugar (sometimes lemon juice) that is either allowed to dissolve into and soften them. To retain the crispy texture, they have to be eaten immediately.
Short-grain rice. Dal. Fenugreek seeds.Salt. Mix for Batter. Soft crepes. Dosa ready to go. By thickening the batter and adding savouries, it’s uttapam. With fermented rice flour appam is made while gram flour is used to make salty pancakes (cheela). In Nepal, chataamari is the savoury rice pancake cooked with meat or eggs on top or served plain. Chinese pancakes may be either savoury or sweet, and are generally made with dough mostly consisting of water, flour, and vegetable oil.The Indonesian pancake serabi is made from rice flour and coconut milk and can include fruit toppings, chocolate, meat or even ground peanuts. While in the Philippines, bibingka is made from rice flour, eggs, and coconut milk, whereas in Japan, Okonomiyaki are made from flour, egg, cabbage and a choice of ingredients.
Irrevocably pancakes have become a part of the tradition and culture of the place. Traditionally pancakes are eaten on Shrove Tuesday (or as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday), which is known as “Pancake Day” in a few Western countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, France. Historically, pancakes were made on Shrove Tuesday so that the last of the fat or lard was used up before Lent as meat products were avoided during Lent. Additionally pancake art as well as pancake fund raising breakfast have been on the rise. Besides with the rise of tourism along the banana pancake trail, exploring and having fun filled experiences is on the bucket list of many.
Ranging from many emotions, pancake fundraising breakfast campaigns to absolute food art, pancakes remind us of home, comfort and warmth. To quote Kathleen Flinn, “I don’t have to tell you I love you. I fed you pancakes.” With a varied range of mixes, toppings, fillings and side-dishes for the different types of pancake mixes results in an surfeit of ideas for quick breakfasts on weekdays, rich calorie laden meals for the lazy weekends or a delightful delicious cuisine of art and hospitality. Looks like pancake are here to stay for a long time to come with newer recipes to be experimented and tried.
Sugar And Spice... Among Other Things 
