Not that you need an excuse to eat pancakes, but if you were wondering how Shrove Tuesday came to be: it was the day of feasting before Lent (the 40 days of fasting before Easter - a time of being "shriven"). This meant using up any eggs and fats, which is where pancakes came into the picture. Enough history? Here's the recipes, and they're a mixed bunch!
Sweet
1. Green tea dorayaki (Japan)
Dorayaki are similar in form to an Australian pikelet, and have a light and fluffy texture. They're typically served sandwich-style, filled with red bean paste, and can be found in Japan at most convenience stores and supermarkets, as well as little old-school hole-in-the-wall specialty shops, which you'll find by following the sweet wafts of cooking batter drifting up the street. Green tea versions are less common, and are fit for a Shrove Tuesday celebration.
2. Coconut-palm sugar pancakes (kueh dadar) (Malaysia)
Potentially the only time you can get away with eating green pancakes aside from Halloween is when they're flavoured with pandan.
3. Brown sugar pancakes (hotteok) (Korea)
You may want to sit down while you read this: spoonfuls of thick yeasty pancake batter are filled with a syrupy mixture of brown sugar and salted roasted peanuts, shaped into discs then fried in hot oil before being served with ice cream and sesame seeds. Lofty and luscious.
4. Semolina pancakes with honey butter and honeycomb (baghrir) (Africa)
Baghrir aka “thousand holes pancakes” are soft, spongy and slightly chewy pancakes that are served as a snack or breakfast meal in Berber cuisine. Pro tip: be patient once you pour the mixture into the pan, you want to give the batter time for the bubbles to form (think crumpets).
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5. Pancakes with saffron syrup (India)
A generous dose of fennel seeds added to the batter turns these pancakes into fragrant offerings. The saffron-cardamom-rosewater syrup is pretty special too.
6. Blueberry pancakes with bacon (Canada)
If you ever needed an excuse to eat a stacked-to-the-rafters pile of pancakes drenched in butter and maple syrup and laden with bacon, Shrove Tuesday is your time. The blueberries in this batter add little fresh bursts, and give it a 'healthy' angle.
7. Crepes with chocolate sauce (crêpes sauce chocolat) (France)
The secret to the success of these crepes is the homemade chocolate sauce, rather than just reaching for your jar of Nutella. And it's easy - dark chocolate, milk and cream melted together.
8. Currant, honey and walnut pancakes (tiganites) (Greece)
Arguably the oldest documented pancake out there, tiganites have been gracing Greek dining tables for over 2,500 years. Their distinguishing features (aside from age) include currents mixed into the batter, and a condiment line-up of cinnamon, honey, walnuts or sesame seeds, and yoghurt or myzithra cheese (similar to ricotta, which can be used as a substitute).
9. Oaty pecan pancakes (UK)
If traditional English pancakes were a no-frills wheat-flour batter topped with golden syrup, sugar and lemon, consider these are a version for the 2010s: a mixture of buckwheat flour, oats (gluten-free, if desired), almond milk, pecans, maple syrup and coconut oil, served with Greek yoghurt and berries.
Savoury
10. Potato pancakes (raggmunk) (Sweden)
Raggmunk may be traditionally served as a Christmas food with crispy bacon and Lingonberry jam, but there's nothing stopping you from extending its festive feel to Shrove Tuesday. Lingonberry jam can be substituted with cranberry jam, and the pancakes work well just with a sprinkle of salt and fresh chives.
11. Pancake soup (Germany)
Here's something you might not have considered doing with your pancakes: rolling them up and slicing them into thin coils, and adding them to a soup. The soup is a base of beef brisket with plenty of warming aromatics, and its nourishing nature makes it a kind of German 'chicken soup for the soul'.
12. Seafood and spring onion pancake (haemul pajeon) (Korea)
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetiser with a beer, or anywhere in between is the perfect time to eat these juicy and deliciously savoury Korean seafood and spring pancakes. Be sure to dunk them liberally in the sweet, sour and spicy dipping sauce.
13. Sizzling coconut pancake with crab and barbecue pork (bánh xèo) (Vietnam)
Gather family and friends around the table and get them wrapping with these Vietnamese pancakes designed to feed a crowd. The name, meaning "sizzling cake", was inspired by the sound the coconut milk-infused, omelette-like batter makes when it hits a hot skillet. This version is filled with crab and pork, but the variations are endless - prawns, fish, tofu and more. Serve with plenty of herbs and chilli to bulk out your wraps and keep things fresh.
14. Osaka-style cabbage pancakes (okonomiyaki) (Japan)
Okonomiyaki (meaning "fried as you like it") hails from Osaka, the home of food to eat while you drink - kushi-katsu and takoyaki are also Osakan creations. Toppings are crucial to the success of this thick cabbage-filled pancake: if you can't get Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise, dissolve a little sugar in rice vinegar and mix it into regular mayo; for the Japanese BBQ sauce, you can substitute regular barbecue sauce or make your own.
15. Carrot and chickpea pancakes (India)
These gluten-free pancakes combine chickpea and buckwheat flours, and a stack (pun fully intended) of aromatic flavours like fresh ginger, coriander, grated carrot, green chilli, and spices. Serve them with your favourite chutney, and if you're dishing them out for breakfast, a fried or poached egg would work a treat.
16. Buckwheat crêpes with eggs (galettes de ble noir a l’oeufs) (France)
Generally speaking, a crêpe is made from wheat flour and served with sweet toppings, and galettes are made from buckwheat flour and served with savoury toppings such as smoked salmon, cheese, ham, and eggs. Except, that is, if you're from Brittany, where this "crêpe" originates and which has a naming convention of its own. A tangy dijon dressing like this one would go nicely over the salad, to add a bit of acidity to the line-up.
17. Thick salt-pork pancakes (fleskepannekaker) (Norway)
To offset the salted pork or bacon in this Norwegian oven-baked pancake, it’s often served with fresh chives, sour cream or cheese, and sometimes fried apple wedges; in the Swedish version of the dish, it’s sugared lingonberries - all good options!
18. Pumpkin pancakes (Australia)
Grated fresh pumpkin is bulk of these sunny pancakes, meaning they're a great option for a light but nourishing breakfast, lunch or dinner. Serve them with plenty of chopped fresh herbs like dill, basil and parsley, and some goats cheese for a creamy, tangy element.
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