March 31, 2011
Bangkok (AFP) - Be it Europe, Asia or the United States, pancake recipe is simple. Ingredients such as chocolate, fruit jam, cream cheese or powdered sugar can be added to this sweet dish.
French crepes
Known as the traditional French pancakes, crepes look, taste and smell quite unique. Originating from Britany region (Bretagne), crepes have caught on throughout the country (as cited at http://www.traveltosun.com).
A crepe, very thin pancake, is usually made from wheat flour, according to wikipedia website. It is considered the national dish, also popular in North and South America.
There are two kinds of crepes: sweet crepe and savoury galette (crepe salee). The first is made with slightly sweetened wheat flour and the latter is made with buckwheat flour which is not sweetened. The word "galette" comes from French word "galet" meaning pebble.
American pancakes
American pancakes are thicker and fluffier than European ones due to baking powder. They can be an interesting dish after a long walk on the streets (as cited at http://www.traveltosun.com).
They are sometimes called hotcakes, griddlecakes or flapjacks. Pancakes can taste differently sweet or sour by adding ingredients like blueberries, cheese, bananas, strawberries, apple or chocolate chips to the batter, according to wikipedia website.
Mandarin pancakes
Mandarin pancakes are normally made with dough rather than batter, according to wikipedia website. They taste savory or sweet. Chinese pancakes can be kept in the freezer to be reheated and server later (as cited at http://www.traveltosun.com).
Banana pancakes are often offered in Western-oriented cafes in Asian countries like Thailand, Cambodia, China, India and Vietnam, according to wikipedia website.
Annual pancake race
The quirky Shrove Tuesday tradition in Olney dates back to 1445, when legend has it a stressed-out housewife heard the church bells and stormed through Olney's streets, still cooking her pancakes, arriving just in time for the service.
Five and a half centuries on, the custom endures in Olney, a quaint market town on the River Great Ouse in Buckinghamshire, southeast England, and is celebrated on what is commonly known in Britain as "pancake day".
Lying on the River Great Ouse, very close to the borders with Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, Olney has a population of around 6,000 people, according to wikipedia website.
It is a popular tourist destination perhaps best known for the Olney Pancake Race and for the Olney Hymns by William Cowper and John Newton
