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In Medieval Times The First 3 Pancakes Were Marked With A Cross, Sprinkled With Salt And Used To Ward Off Evil

National Pancake Day on September 26th sets up a tall stack of syrupy goodness to celebrate! Set the table. Mix up the batter. Heat up the griddle. Because the butter is ready to melt and the flapjacks are delicious!

  • Also known as Johnnycakes, griddle cakes or hotcakes, this batter-made breakfast item dates back more than 30,000 years. In fact, it may be the oldest breakfast food in history.
  • It became a traditional part of Fat Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday) celebrations when revelers would feast before fasting. They still do! The thin cakes can be rolled and filled with fruit and other fillings. Usually, though, they’re stacked and drizzled with flavored syrup.
  • Pancakes have a long history, dated back to the times of Ancient Romans and it was believed in Medieval times that the first three pancakes cooked were sacred. They were each marked with a cross before being sprinkled with salt and then set aside to ward off evil.
  • The Ancient Greeks made pancakes called τηγανίτης (tēganitēs), ταγηνίτης (tagēnitēs) all words deriving from τάγηνον (tagēnon), “frying pan”.
  • Maple syrup which is often used as a topping was originally a sweet drink that was discovered by the Algonquin Indians.
  • The first ready-mix food sold commercially was Aunt Jemima pancake flour. It was invented in 1889  in St. Joseph, Missouri.
  • 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.
  • The first pancake recipe appeared in an English cookbook in the fifteenth century.
  • William Shakespeare liked pancakes, often mentioning them in his plays.
  • According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “flat as a pancake”, has been a catchphrase since at least 1611.
  • In Sweden, you can order Blodplattar, which are pancakes made out of pork blood.
  • Pancakes outnumber the waffle five to one.
  • Pancake average calories: 80 calories without a topping.
  • Britain will eat an egg-straordinary 52 million eggs on Pancake Day.
  • 75% of people don’t know the ingredients needed for the basic pancake mix!
  • One in ten people over 55 have never made a pancake!
  •  The town of Olney in England hosts an annual pancake race in celebration of “Pancake Day.” They’ve done it every year since 1445
  • 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 fried in oil as a reminder of the miraculous oil lamp that the Jewish holiday celebrates.
  •  The United States produced 3.17 million gallons of maple syrup in 2014, which is 10% less than what they produced in 2013.

Sources:

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