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The beauty of pancakes
May 30, 2012, Wednesday
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INTERNATIONALISM speaks in so many ways - culture, language, arts, and best of all, food. From the exotic flavors of Thai cuisine to the classic-but-delicious tastes of Italian, food is always a highlight of a nation, something that classifies the nation and its people. But there's one food that represents our world as one: the pancake.
A pancake is a thin, flat cake of batter; usually fried, turned in a pan, and most importantly, tastes delicious. The Ancient Greeks, dating back to before 5 BC, created it. Over the years pancakes have evolved and spread their branches of tastiness far and wide.
Back home, pancakes usually meant waking up to the comforting smell of baking batter and pouring way too much syrup all over the piping-hot cakes.
But since moving to Shanghai, I've discovered the many, many variations of the pancake, each absolutely sensational to the taste buds.
One of the most well-known variations of the pancake is the French crepe. Savory or sweet, crepes are thin, lacy pancakes that have a network of bubbles inside to create that heavenly texture when you bite into it. Filled with chocolate syrup, assorted fruits, powdered sugar, meats or cheeses, crepes are a treat whenever and wherever.
There are so many variations of the pancake: the potato-based German kartoffelpuffer; savory Indian dosa, filled with chilli, onions or even pickles; yeast-less Russian blintzes; Austrian caramelized kaiserschmarrn; Singaporean roti prata, served with curry; sweet cheese-stuffed Polish nalesniki; pannenkoek, a pancake that belongs to both Holland and South Africa (the South Africans like to put cinnamon sugar and lemon juice in the batter, while the Dutch prefer it savory and as big as a pizza).
There's even a Chinese variation of the pancake. Congyoubing is a thin, savory Chinese pancake with green onion embedded into the dough. It's available everywhere in Shanghai; mainly from the little street carts on the side of the road. You can have congyoubing with toppings like sesame seeds, soy sauce, chives, and my personal favorite, hot chilli sauce.
Internationalism speaks in so many ways - culture, languages, arts - but the pancake highlights a nation's independence and culture while still finding a way to achieve deliciousness.
A pancake is a thin, flat cake of batter; usually fried, turned in a pan, and most importantly, tastes delicious. The Ancient Greeks, dating back to before 5 BC, created it. Over the years pancakes have evolved and spread their branches of tastiness far and wide.
Back home, pancakes usually meant waking up to the comforting smell of baking batter and pouring way too much syrup all over the piping-hot cakes.
But since moving to Shanghai, I've discovered the many, many variations of the pancake, each absolutely sensational to the taste buds.
One of the most well-known variations of the pancake is the French crepe. Savory or sweet, crepes are thin, lacy pancakes that have a network of bubbles inside to create that heavenly texture when you bite into it. Filled with chocolate syrup, assorted fruits, powdered sugar, meats or cheeses, crepes are a treat whenever and wherever.
There are so many variations of the pancake: the potato-based German kartoffelpuffer; savory Indian dosa, filled with chilli, onions or even pickles; yeast-less Russian blintzes; Austrian caramelized kaiserschmarrn; Singaporean roti prata, served with curry; sweet cheese-stuffed Polish nalesniki; pannenkoek, a pancake that belongs to both Holland and South Africa (the South Africans like to put cinnamon sugar and lemon juice in the batter, while the Dutch prefer it savory and as big as a pizza).
There's even a Chinese variation of the pancake. Congyoubing is a thin, savory Chinese pancake with green onion embedded into the dough. It's available everywhere in Shanghai; mainly from the little street carts on the side of the road. You can have congyoubing with toppings like sesame seeds, soy sauce, chives, and my personal favorite, hot chilli sauce.
Internationalism speaks in so many ways - culture, languages, arts - but the pancake highlights a nation's independence and culture while still finding a way to achieve deliciousness.
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