Pancakes Around the World: A Delicious Global Tour

Thin, folded crêpes are just one member of the world's pancake family. Photo by Husien Bisky on Unsplash (Unsplash License)

Mix flour and liquid, pour it onto a hot surface, and you have a pancake. That simple idea is so universal that almost every culture has its own version, from lacy French crêpes to tangy Ethiopian injera. Here is a tour of some of the world's best-loved pancakes and the traditions around them.

Ancient beginnings

Pancakes have a long recorded history. In ancient Greece, pancakes called tēganitēs (from the word for frying pan) were mentioned by comic poets in the 5th century BCE. They were made with wheat flour, olive oil, honey and curdled milk, and eaten in the morning.

Shrove Tuesday and the Olney pancake race

In many Christian countries, pancakes are linked to Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. Traditionally, households used up rich ingredients such as eggs, butter and fat before the Lenten fast, and pancakes were the perfect way to do it.

The English town of Olney in Buckinghamshire is famous for its Shrove Tuesday pancake race. According to local tradition it was first run in 1445; the modern race was revived in 1948. Runners dash about a quarter of a mile while flipping a pancake in a frying pan. Since 1950, Olney has competed with the town of Liberal, Kansas, which runs its own race on the same day.

A world of pancakes

Pancake	Where	What makes it special
Crêpes	France (Brittany)	Very thin and served sweet or savory; buckwheat galettes are a Breton specialty.
Blini	Russia	Thin, often yeasted pancakes, central to Maslenitsa, the festive “pancake week” before Lent.
Pannenkoeken	Netherlands	Large, plate-sized pancakes, slightly thicker than crêpes, with sweet or savory toppings.
Dosa	Southern India	Crisp pancakes made from a fermented batter of rice and urad dal.
Injera	Ethiopia and Eritrea	A spongy, slightly sour flatbread made from teff that doubles as the plate.
Okonomiyaki	Japan	A savory pancake of flour, egg and cabbage with your choice of additions.
American pancakes	United States	Thick, fluffy and leavened with baking powder, served in stacks with butter and syrup.

Why pancakes are everywhere

Pancakes need only a few staple ingredients and a hot surface, so they adapt to whatever grain a region grows: wheat in Europe, rice and lentils in India, teff in the Horn of Africa and buckwheat in Brittany and Russia. Fermented batters add tang and keep well, while chemical leaveners create the fluffy texture loved in North America.

Make your own

Start with our Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes, then try a thin crêpe batter or a savory version with vegetables. Out of buttermilk? Our baking substitutions chart shows how to make a quick replacement with milk and lemon juice.

Quick summary: pancakes date back at least to ancient Greece, are tied to Shrove Tuesday traditions like the Olney pancake race, and take countless forms, from crêpes and blini to dosa and injera.

Sources and further reading

• Pancake – Wikipedia
• Olney Pancake Race – official site
• Maslenitsa – Wikipedia

Explore more in Food Stories and Breakfast & Brunch.