Top 13 fun and interesting facts about pancakes

Pancakes are ‘flat cakes’, usually thin and round, prepared from a starch batter to which you also add eggs, milk, and butter. They’re fried on both sides in a pan, using oil or butter. The Ancient Greeks made pancakes called tagenias, which translate to “frying pan.” Have a look below for the top 13 more fun and interesting facts about pancakes and all about pancake traditions from all around the world.

1. The first pancakes were fried concoctions called Alita Dolcia (“another sweet” in Latin) and were made by Romans in the 1st Century AD.They were made from milk, flour, eggs and spices and were very similar to pancakes.
2. The Middle English word pancake appears in English in the 15th century.
3. William Shakespeare liked pancakes, often mentioning them in his plays
4. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “flat as a pancake”, has been a catchphrase since at least 1611
5. Maple syrup which is often used as a topping, was originally a sweet drink which was discovered by the Algonquin Indians.
6. The first ready-mix food which was sold commercially was Aunt Jemima pancake flour. It was invented in 1889  in St. Joseph, Missouri.
7. The record for the highest pancake toss is 9.47m (31ft 1in) made in New York in 2010.
8. The biggest pancake in the world weighed 6,614 pounds and was over 49 feet in diameter.
9. The Guinness World Record for the most pancakes served in 8 hours by a team is 34,818.
10.  If you take a trip to the Magic Kingdom and stop in for breakfast at Frontierland’s River Belle Terrace, you’ll be treated to pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse.
11.  The town of Olney in England hosts an annual pancake race in celebration of “Pancake Day.” They’ve done it every year since 1445.
12. The world’s most expensive pancakes are made by the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel’s five star Opus restaurant. Their pancakes have pink champagne, lobster, truffles and caviar. The dish costs $1,166 per serving.
13. Pancake syndrome is an allergic reaction which some people have after eating pancakes in tropical regions where certain mites can contaminate the flour in pancake

Pancakes around the world

Pancakes are found almost in every culture. It is a thin flat cake made from batter and fried in a pan or on a griddle. Batter is usually made from eggs, flour, milk or water, oil or melted butter. Sometimes batter can be made from buttermilk. Mardi Gras and International Pancake Day fall on the same day. Below, we’ve summed up the most famous pancake traditions around the world.

• In Sweden you can order Blodplättar, which are pancakes made of pork blood.
• The French crêpe is thin and crispy. It is folded or rolled and heated in a sauce of sugar, butter, citrus juice and liqueur. It is common in France to touch the handle of the frying pan and to make a wish while the pancake is turned, holding a coin in one hand.

• In the United States, southerners eat the most pancakes, accounting for 32.5% of the pancake consumption.
• In Canada and the United States, pancakes are often eaten for breakfast with butter and syrup.
• Blinis are yeasted pancakes, usually from Russia, that are made from buckwheat flour and served with sour cream, jam, honey or caviar.
• The potato pancakes that are traditionally served during Hanukkah are friend in oil as a reminder of the miraculous oil lamp that the Jewish holiday celebrates.