pancakes (thing)

Pancakes are perhaps the world's oldest type of bread. Pictures of pancakes have been found that are from the Neolithic Age. Some facts about pancakes (yes, some of them depend on a rather loose interpretation of 'pancake'):

• Pancakes were part of the daily diet of the Pharaohs of Egypt.
• The Greeks ate a simple form of the pancake.... with only eggs, flour and milk.
• In the Middle Ages, Christians were not allowed to eat meat, eggs or milk on Lent. So they mixed up all their eggs, milk and butter and ate them on Shrove Tuesday. As a matter of fact, in England there are still some pancake races and pancake-eating contests on Shrove Tuesday.
• A form of pancakes were made by the Native Americans with corn meal replacing flour as the main ingredient.
• February 2 is Pancake day in France. It is believed that if one flips a pancake with one hand while holding a peice of money in the other, one will have good luck throughout the year.
• Dutch pancakes are huge and oven baked, with frosting. They brought this to America, where they (the pancakes, not the Dutch) were called 'Dutch babies'.
• The term flapjack, a synonym of pancake, comes from the English system of liquid volumes, in which a jack was one half of a cup. A jack of fruit enclosed in a pastry flap was known as a 'flapjack' -- a pancake.
• In the American west, flat hoe blades were used to cook pancakes. Another tale from the West is about the famous mythical frontier hero, Paul Bunyan. While he and his men were clearing the forest, the cooks could not cook fast enough to satisfy his men. Paul's solution was to build a huge griddle, greased by men walking over it with peices of meat on their feet. To flip the pancake, the griddle was blasted with dynamite.

  Simple Pancake Recipe

  Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk or water

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Combine the liquid ingredients and beat well.
3. Combine the two mixtures together.
4. Pour 1/4 cup batter unto a lightly greased hot pan. Cook until set, about 1 minute. Turn over and cook the other side, also for about 1 minute,

This recipe makes about 8 six-inch pancakes.

Source for recipe: I can't believe it's History, Katy Keck Arnsteen and Donna Guthrie