- Feb 24, 2017

Get'Em Hot Off the Griddle

Are you excited for National Pancake Day? We sure are!

No matter what the reason or when you celebrate International (National) Pancake Day, any day is a great day for a hot buttery, sweet sticky stack of cakes.

Pancakes, also known in the U.S. as Flap Jacks, Hoe Cakes, Griddle Cakes and Hot Cakes have a day of celebration all to themselves! Celebrate pancakes all day long for breakfast, lunch and dinner, no judgment here!Pancakes are amongst the top 10 most popular breakfast items and they are loved in almost every culture. In America you will most likely see a pancake eaten as a fluffy short stack with butter and syrup or in France you will most likely see a crepe, which is a very thin version of a pancake usually filled with fruit and sprinkled with sugar. Pancakes are such a versatile vessel of goodness; add a sausage link and roll it up, top with warm Maple Syrup and a sprinkling of Confectioner’s sugar and you have “Pigs in a Blanket”!

If you’re interest is to venture out of the traditional pancake realm; try serving a Baked Pancake or a Dutch Baby. These fluffy soufflé like creations are made with a traditional German type batter that has no leavening, this allows the cake to rise and/or fall in the center forming a bowl or a soft delicate dome. The consistency is light and airy; it literally melts in your mouth. The Dutch Baby pancake is typically served with fruit and dusting of powdered sugar but let your imagination go wild!

Here’s to History

Pancakes have been around through the ages, from the Ancient Greeks and Romans who sweetened their pancakes with honey to the Elizabethans who ate their cakes with spices, rose water, sherry and apples. Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday and Marti Gras, falls between February 2 and March 9, depending on the date for Easter. It marks the start of Lent, the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Fact is that pancakes were made in an attempt to use all dairy products that were forbidden during the 40 days of fasting during Lent and in the process pancakes became a food of celebration during this period.

Fun Facts:

The earliest use of the expression ‘as flat as a pancake’ was in 1611.
Aunt Jemima pancake flour was the first ready-mix food to be sold commercially. It was invented in Missouri and introduced in 1889
Maple syrup which is often used as a topping was originally a sweet drink which was discovered by the Algonquin Indians.
The first pancake recipe appeared in an English cookbook in the fifteenth century.
One pancake fan ran a marathon while continually tossing a pancake for three hours, two minutes and twenty seven seconds.
The town of Olney in England hosts an annual pancake race in celebration of “Pancake Day.” They've done it every year since 1445.
Pancakes are the Ultimate Comfort Food that never fails to bring back a sense of nostalgia when eaten.

So, however you crave pancakes sweet, savory, with fruit filling or just a good ole short stack, Lyons has you covered! See below for a variety of recipes. Click here to see all the Syrups Lyons has to offer.

Recipes