Yesterday we taught the children to make pancakes. Apart from getting them to identify different pancakes from different parts of the world, we also taught them to design their pancake (so they had to draw out the toppings for their pancakes before making them and decide if they wanted thick or thin...and how much milk or flour they would need to add for the intended effect). After that, we taught them to flip the pancakes and BOY! That was FUN! They were very scared to flip the pancakes at first and some of them were so small sized that they needed two hands to flip the pancakes! But we did it in the end and all of them were so pleased that they wanted to try this at home as well. Now that is what we love to hear at The Little Arts Academy...because we love it when our students discover the love of the arts and cooking and want to do more and more in their own time to get better at what they love.

Here's the recipe for pancakes, from Aunty Judy:
1 cup plain flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
butter for greasing

1. Mix eggs and milk together in a pitcher or measuring jug.
2. Put the flour in a mixing bowl and create a well in the middle of the flour.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the flour and whisk till there are no more lumps.
4. Melt a bit of butter on the pan and swirl to coat the base.
5. Drop a ladle-ful of batter into the middle of the pan. Wait for bubbles to appear on the pancake indicating that the underside is almost ready. When the underside is golden brown, flip the pancakes over and cook the other side for approximately one minute.
6. Top with lemon and sugar, lemon and honey or chocolate sauce.
7. Guzzle up with lots of friends and have fun flipping pancakes!

Pancakes Around the World (adapted from wikipedia)

English pancakes

A sweet dessert with the traditional topping of lemon juice and sugar, drizzled with golden syrup, or wrapped around savory stuffings and eaten as a main course. Yorkshire pudding is made from a similar recipe, but baked instead of fried. This batter rises because the air beaten into the batter expands, without the need for baking powder; the result is eaten as part of the traditional roast beef dinner.

French crêpes and Italian crespelle

Thin and lacey and are usually served with a large amount of sweet or savory filling, ranging from fruit and/or ice cream, to seafood (in Brazil, most usually ground meat).

A Breton galette is a large thin pancake made of buckwheat flour, mostly associated with the regions of Normandy and Brittany in France. It is often cooked on one side only.

Scottish (also Ulster) pancakes

Locally known as drop scones, pancakes or griddle cakes, are more like the American type and are thicker and fluffier as they are made with self-raising flour rather than plain flour.

Smaller pancakes (usually about 3.5 in / 9 cm in diameter) are known in the UK as Scotch pancakes or drop-scones (after the traditional method of dropping batter onto a griddle (a girdle in Northumberland or in Scots)), and in northern England, Australia and New Zealand as pikelets. They can be served with jam and cream or just with butter.

Crumpets
Made to a similar recipe are crumpets. These are cooked on the griddle on one side until browned, then lightly cooked on the other side. Both Scotch pancakes and crumpets can be made with plain flour and baking soda as an alternative to self-raising flour.

German pancakes

German pancakes are called Pfannkuchen (Pfanne translates to English pan, Kuchen simply means cake). German pancakes are the same as English pancakes. In some regions (Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxonia) pancakes are called Eierkuchen, as the term Pfannkuchen refers to Berliners there. In Swabia sliced pancake strips (Flädle) are often served in soup. A Berliner Pfannkuchen is not a pancake; it is a doughnut.
Netherlands

In the Netherlands and Flanders, pancakes are called pannekoeken and eaten at dinnertime. Pancake restaurants are popular family restaurants and serve many varieties of sweet, savory, and stuffed pancakes. Pannekoeken are slightly thicker than crepes and usually quite large (12" or more) in diameter. The batter is egg-based and the fillings can include sliced apples, cheese, ham, bacon, candied ginger and many other ingredients - alone or in combination - as well as "stroop", a thick syrup. One classical Dutch filling is a combination of bacon and stroop.

Poffertjes are another Dutch pancake-type dish. They resemble American pancakes somewhat, but are sweeter, and much smaller. The technique used also varies; they are flipped repeatedly before a side is completely done, in order to attain a softer interior.

Scandinavia

Scandinavian pancakes are similar to the French crêpes. They are often served with jam and whipped cream or ice cream as a main dish with a variety of savory fillings.

Others resemble German pancakes but include fried pork in the batter; these are baked in the oven.

Potato pancakes called raggmunk contain shredded raw potato, and may contain other vegetables (sometimes the pancake batter is omitted, producing rårakor).

Raggmunk and rårakor are traditionally eaten with pork rinds and lingonberry jam.

A special Swedish pancake is saffron pancake from Gotland, made with saffron and rice, baked in the oven.

Norwegians like their pancakes with sugar or blueberry jam, and they are often served with hot soup. Norwegians eat a great deal of rice pudding/porridge - leftovers from this can be made into small pancakes called "lapper".

In Sweden and Finland, pancakes follow the pea soup traditionally eaten on Thursdays.

Central and Eastern Europe

In Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia pancakes are called palatschinke, palačinka, and palacinka, respectively (plural palatschinken, palačinky, palacinky).

In countries of former Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia) they are called palačinka (plural palačinke). In all these languages, the word derives from Latin placenta, meaning cake).

These pancakes are usually thin, filled with apricot, plum, lingonberry, strawberry or apple jam, chocolate sauce or hazelnut spread.

Kaiserschmarrn is an Austrian pancake including raisins, almonds, apple jam or small pieces of apple, split into pieces and usually sprinkled with powdered sugar.

In Hungary, pancakes called palacsinta (also derived from Latin placenta) are made from flour, milk and/or soda water, sugar, and eggs. Sweet wine can also be added to the batter. The filling is usually jam, sugared and ground walnut or puppy seeds, sugared cottage cheese, sugared cocoa or cinnamon powder, but meat and mushroom fillings are also popular.

Gundel palacsinta is a famous Hungarian pancake, stuffed with walnuts, zest, raisins and rum, served in chocolate sauce. The dish is often flambéed. The Hungarian pancakes are served as a main dish or a dessert.

Poland

In Poland, thin crêpe-style pancakes are called naleśniki (pronounced naleshniki). Like any crêpe or blintz, they can be served with a variety of savory or sweet fillings as a main dish or dessert. Sweet fillings include fresh fruits (e.g., bilberry), jams, or soft white cheese with sugar. Savory fillings include fried vegetables, fried chicken, minced meat, and different additions like potatoes, mushrooms, cabbage, or ham.

Russia

In Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, several varieties of pancakes are popular as breakfast food, appetizer, main course, or even dessert.

Blintzes (Russian: блинчики blinchiki) are thin crepes made without yeast.

Blini (Russian: блины) are thicker pancakes made from wheat or buckwheat flour, butter, eggs, and milk, with yeast added to the batter.

Small-sized thick pancakes made from yogurt or buttermilk based batter (without yeast) are called in Russian cuisine oladyi (оладьи) (diminutive: oladushki оладушки, further abbreviated as ladushki ладушки).

North America

American or Canadian pancakes (also known as hotcakes, griddlecakes, or flapjacks in the U.S.) are Scotch pancakes which contain a raising agent, usually baking powder, and contains different proportions of eggs, flour, and milk or buttermilk, which create a thick batter. Sugar and spices such as cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg can be added. The raising agent causes bubbles to rise to the uncooked side of the pancake, at which point the pancake is ready to be flipped. These pancakes, very light in texture, are often served at breakfast topped with maple syrup (or corn syrup), butter, peanut butter, jelly, jam, fruit or even honey. In the Southern United States, cane syrup and molasses have also been common toppings.

North American pancakes can be made sweet or savory by adding ingredients such as blueberries, strawberries, cheese, bacon, bananas, apples or chocolate chips to the batter. In addition, some recipes call for the addition of spices such as nutmeg or cinnamon, or flavoring agents such as vanilla extract.

Flapjacks in the U.S. are sometimes larger, thinner and more crisp than a regular American pancake.

Vermont pancakes usually have oatmeal or buckwheat flour added to the wheat flour, and require more baking powder to rise. The texture is coarser and the flavor more intense. The pancakes are served with maple syrup which is a famous product of Vermont.

"German Pancakes" or Dutch baby pancakes served in American pancake houses are shaped like a bowl and come in a range of sizes. They are commonly eaten with lemons and powdered sugar, jam, or caramelized apples.

Mexican hotcakes, are similar in style to pancakes served in the U.S., hotcakes are more often made with cornmeal as well as or instead of wheat flour.

Hotcakes are popular breakfast items at restaurants throughout the country, and are often sold by street vendors; the vendors usually sell a single hotcake topped with different sauces such as condensed milk, fruit jam or a sweet goat milk spread called "cajeta."

Africa

Pancakes in South Africa are similar to English pancakes. They are traditionally prepared by the Afrikaans community on gas-stoves, and called pannekoek in Afrikaans, often eaten on wet and cold days.

Pannekoek are most commonly served with cinnamon-flavored sugar (and sometimes lemon juice); the sugar may be left to dissolve onto the pancake; if eaten immediately the pancake has a crispy texture. This is a staple at Dutch Reformed Church fetes.[3] American-style "silver dollar" pancakes are also eaten in South Africa, where they are known as "plaatkoekies" or "flapjacks".

Asia

In Malaysia and Singapore, a pancake-like snack known as Apom Balik (in Malay) or Ban Chian Kuih (面煎粿 in Chinese). The Chinese version is made with a filling, traditionally ground peanut with sugar, butter and additional condiments like sweetened coconut or egg. Increasingly non traditional condiments like cheese, kaya (egg & coconut milk custard), blueberry or chocolate are used in response to demand for more interesting twist. There are other interesting variations, such as those made with soya bean milk replacing egg and water.

The Malay version (Apom Balik) frequently has sweet corn and condensed milk as filling.

In the Philippines, pancakes or "hotcakes" are also served with syrup (maple or imitation corn syrup) margarine and sugar or condensed milk.

In Vietnamese cuisine, there is a wide variety of traditional pancakes; these include bánh xèo and bánh khọt in southern Vietnam, and bánh căn and bánh khoái in central Vietnam.

In India, a dish called the Pooda (sometimes called Cheela) is a variety of Pancake. They can be made either sweet or salty and are of different thickness as per region.

Dosa could be said to be another Indian pancake. It is prepared by fermenting rice batter. However the most correct definition would be what Punjabis call a Meetha Pooda which are a common breakfast food item in the Punjab. It is a sweet pancake which can also be eaten with pickles.

In Nepal, the Newar people have a type of savory rice pancake called chataamari which can be cooked with meat or eggs on top of it.

In Korea, pancakes include jeon, pajeon, bindaetteok, kimchijeon, and hotteok.

Japan

Dorayaki (どら焼き, どらやき, 銅鑼焼き, ドラ焼き?) is a type of Japanese confection which consists of two small pancake-like patties made from kasutera wrapped around a filling of sweet red bean paste.

It originally only had one layer, and the current shape was invented in 1914 by the Ueno Usagiya.

In Japanese, dora means "gong", and because of the simililarity of the shapes, this is probably the origin of the name of the sweet.

Legend has it that the first Dorayaki were made when a samurai named Benkei forgot his gong (dora) upon leaving a farmer’s home where he was hiding and the farmer subsuquently used the gong to fry the pancakes, thus the name Dorayaki.

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き?) is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.

Waffles

A waffle is a batter- or dough-based cake cooked in a waffle iron patterned to give a distinctive and characteristic shape. There are many variations based on the type and shape of the iron and the recipe used.

History

The modern pancake has roots dating to ancient times. Foods similar to pancakes can be dated back to the ancient Romans. The Romans enjoyed a simple flatbread consisting of flour, milk, eggs and spices which was called called "Alita Dolcia" (Latin for "another sweet").Some Alita Dolcia were sweetened with honey or fruits hile others were savory breads filled with meats and cheeses. Although Alita Dolcia may have resembled pancakes, the pancakes we know today originated in Medieval Europe.
"The griddle method of cooking is older than oven baking, and pancakes are an ancient form. The first pancakes clearly distinguishable from plain griddle breads are sweet ones mentioned by Apicius; these were made from a batter of egg, mixed milk and water, and a little flour, fried and served with pepper and honey.

"Pancakes have long been a staple of the American breakfast table, and their history is as old as that of the Native Americans who shaped a soft batter in their hands and called it, in the Narragansett, nokehick (it is soft), transmuted by early white settlers into " no cake."

Cornmeal pancakes were called "Indian cakes" as early as 1607. The Dutch in America made similar cakes from buckwheat, panekoeken, which by 1740 were called "buckwheat cakes."

English settlers brought with them the feast of Pancake Tuesday, an old name for Shrove Tuesday, the day before the Lenten fast begins...By 1745 Americans were also referring to hoe cakes," perhaps because they were cooked on a flat hoe blade...One of the most beloved versions of this simple cake is the Johnnycake [also known as journey cake], specifically associated with Rhode Island...The word "pancake" itself was not in general usage until the 1870s..."

---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 229-30)