History of Pancakes

Pancakes have a long and noble history, dating all the way back Egypt in 8,000 BC. In festivals and rituals of early cultures, pancakes appeared as a symbol of life because the bread-pancake, made of unleavened flour and water,was referred to as the ‘staff of life’. All pancakes are variations of these.

The addition of leavening (a raising agent), gave rise to modern breads - a more nourishing variation substituted water for milk and eggs.

With the formation of Christianity pancakes became associated with pre-Lentan feasting; what better way to prepare for 40 days of abstinence than by eating rich pancakes covered with butter, cream, sweet fruits, jams and syrups?

But nowhere did pancakes become so ingrained as in the Netherlands. Simple to make out of handy ingredients, they were cheap and nourishing, and they made a good main

meal for breakfast, midday, or ‘supper cakes’. Bowls called ‘leupen’ were designed for the batter, and special griddles were made to cook waffles and poffertjes.

In some regions, the pancakes were stacked up like a multilayered cake, and wedges were cut out for each dinner. Dutch crêpes, called flensjes, were made so thin that a stack of 100 flensjes were less than three inches high.

So enamoured of pancakes were the Dutch, that pre-Lentan Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) was not enough celebration to enjoy them. Puffy pancakes, iced in pink, were featured at the rowdy ‘Fall Kermis Carnivals’ of the 16th Century. Stands selling these ‘Kermis Cakes’ would be set up at fairgrounds, and moved, like the game booths and merry-go-rounds, from town to town.