After a long weekend of partying, you wake up and smell that delightful toasty scent coming from the kitchen. Mixed with the smoky bacon and aroma of freshly brewed coffee…It’s unmistakable. It’s pancake day! And it’s not even Sunday. What could be happening? Oh, yeah….it’s Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday…Shove Tuesday….Fat Tuesday. The last fling before a 40-day season of fasting.Making pancakes was a good cause to use up the remaining eggs and butter in the house. They were considered too decadent to be eaten during lent. So a Feast day it is! In Olney, England, pancake races have been a big part of the Fat Tuesday celebration for many years. The legend is that the bells of Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul were ringing, calling all to come to be shriven. A housewife, in her haste, ran out of the house still wearing her apron and carrying the skillet with a pancake. Now, women are called to partake in the race, flipping as they go. Sounds fun to me!
Pancakes have been in existence for a very long time. The first recorded writings of pancakes were in 1445, though I suspect they were made long before that. Grinding some grains in a mortar and pestle, mixing with water and baking on a hot stone would surely pass as a pancake in ancient times. I’m thinking, once there was fire, there surely were pancakes. They are my husband’s favorite food, and one of the few things he can actually make and make well.
Every country in the world has their own take on pancakes. Here are a few versions:
English–leavened with ale, crumpets made with yeast
French– crepes made with eggs
Russian– blini—tiny rounds of buckwheat batter
Mexico—tortilla from corn or flour
German—baked in the oven with lemon and sugar topping
Danish—ableskiever baked in a special pan to make balls
Italian—Crespelle, crepes with a savory filling
Scotland or Ireland—Scots, drop scones, pancakes or girdle cakes
Australia or New Zealand–pikelets
Austria—Palatschinken
Ethiopia—injera made from teff or buckwheat
India—dosa made from rice flour and fried in a skillet
Chinese—green onion pancakes, wonton wrappers for egg rolls
Middle East—matzo, blintzes
American pancakes are generally thick and fluffy. They can be called battercakes, hotcakes, griddlecakes, hoecakes, or flapjacks. They use baking powder, yeast, or soda and are generally served with syrup or fruit.
Diner language for pancakes:
• short stack—1-2 cakes about 10-inch in diameter
• silver dollar—3-inch cakes, 5-10 per serving.
• Regular– 5-inch diameter—3-4 cakes per serving
Making a mix is an easy way to get the exact ingredients you want and know are organic and real. Once made, store it in a container on your shelf and keep those pancakes coming to your breakfast table in a flash. Everyday can be “Pancake Day”.
All kids love pancakes…and the “syrupy” as a “dipping sauce”… messy… but oh so good!
Wild Child Pancake Mix
1/2 cup oatmeal
8 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 cups buttermilk powder
5 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons. baking soda
2 Tbsp. Salt
Pancakes
makes about 6 medium pancakes
prep time: 20 minutes
1 cup mix
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cups water
2 tablespoons canola oil
In a medium bowl combine the mix, egg, vanilla, water and oil. Bake on heated griddle. A couple drops of water sizzling on the surface alert you that it is the perfect temperature for baking 
the batter. Drop about 1/2 cup batter on the griddle. When bubbles appear on the surface and the edges are starting to dry, turn and bake the other side until golden. Or if you are really brave you can flip the cake high in the air. Go ahead…no one is looking.
