English is where we can establish the etymological origin of the term pancake that we are now going to address. Specifically, we can emphasize that it derives from the word “pancake”, which can be translated as “pancake” or “pan bread”.
A pancake is a thin cake made with a dough of flour, milk and beaten eggs .
Also called pancakes or pancakes , pancakes can be sweet or savory . These are products similar to crepes : the use of both notions, in fact, is interchangeable in some regions .
A pancake, in short, is a type of flatbread . Although there are multiple recipes , the basic dough always uses wheat flour, milk, beaten eggs and, depending on the case, salt or sugar.
It is also possible to incorporate cinnamon, vanilla essence, grated cheese, lard or butter and even yeast . It all depends on the type of pancake you intend to make and, of course, the taste of each of the consumers.
In Argentina , for example, pancakes are often served with dulce de leche . It is common to add this ingredient directly to the dough and then roll the pancake, creating a kind of filled tube.
In the United States , the most popular pancakes contain maple syrup . Pancakes with honey , jam and crème anglaise are also famous. The Spanish, meanwhile, usually consume them with cream or milk .
In the case of savory pancakes, they are often prepared with cheese and ham . You can also use other components, such as sausages or tomatoes.
A curious fact about pancakes is their origin. Specifically, it is considered that the Romans were the ones who invented a dish, known as alita dolcia, which can be established as their starting point. They sold it outside the squares and prepared it with flour, milk, spices and eggs. Of course, then they smeared it in honey.
However, it is considered that the first pancake dough as we now know it saw the light of day in the 19th century. It was exactly in 1890 when it was made by the David Milling Company.
It is important to mention that pancakes can be consumed for breakfast , lunch , snack or dinner . Due to the variety of recipes, there are products of this kind suitable for eating at any time.
You may not know it, but there is a pancake day. Specifically, this is celebrated on the last Tuesday before Lent and refers to an ancient celebration held by Christians. Apparently, on that date, to avoid falling into "temptation" during the aforementioned Lent, they first prepared some large pancakes with the sugar, eggs and fats they had in their pantries.
Another curiosity about this food is that there is even a Guinness World Record for it. Exactly we mean that in 1994 the Cooperative Union Ltd of Manchester shaped the largest pancake in the world. It was 15 meters in diameter.