Pancakes from around the world

Shrove Tuesday falls on the 16th of February this year and as we all know has become an excuse to make mountains of pancakes.

Just about every country has its own version, so for those of you looking to make something a little different here are some alternatives from around the world.

USA

American pancakes are thicker and fluffier than our traditional pancakes and can be called battercakes or griddlecakes, best served with plenty of maple syrup.

American pancakes with butter and syrup

France

French Crepes are not dissimilar to the pancakes we’re used to, except are very thin and much lighter.  A crêpe suzette is folded or rolled and heated in a sauce of butter, sugar, citrus juice and liqueur.

French crepes suzette

Russia

Russian blinis are small, leavened buckwheat pancakes which are traditionally served with sour cream, caviar or smoked salmon.

Russian blini served with caviar, sour cream, lemon and capers

Mexico

The Mexican equivalent of a pancake is its tortilla, which is often served folded over a bean or meat filling and topped by a tomato sauce.

Tortillas

India

A ‘Dosa’ is a thin crispy pancake from Southern India, usually served with chutneys.

Dosa from southern India

Indonesia

Don’t be put off by the colour, this green pancake is a traditional Asian dessert, it’s made with coconut milk and filled with grated coconut, sugar and pandan leaves.

Indonesian green pancakes

Austria

My personal favourite is the Austrian Kaiserschmarren or Emperor’s pancake, it’s made with more eggs than our own version for a thicker consistency and served with dollops of apple sauce and sprinkled with a generous covering of icing sugar.

Austrian Kaiserschmarrn (Emperor's pancake)