Candlemas: The World Tour Of Pancakes In 5 Specialties

Did you know that there are pancakes and galettes all over the world? On the occasion of Candlemas, celebrated on February 2nd, we propose you to make a world tour of the pancakes in 5 specialities.

1- Dosas in South India

The dosas are a culinary specialty of South India.

They are presented as large, thin, golden brown pancakes.

Unlike our French crepes, they are not filled but must be dipped in various spicy sauces.

2- Baghirs in the Maghreb

The baghirs, also known as thousand-hole pancakes, are a culinary specialty of North Africa.

Unlike our Breton Pancakes or American pancakes, they are not prepared exclusively from wheat flour, but from wheat flour and semolina.

Another peculiarity is that these small oriental Pancakes do not flip but cook on one side, for about 3 minutes, on very low heat.

They owe their nickname to the fact that small holes form on the surface of the pancake as it cooks.

They are usually served warm topped with honey or a mixture of melted butter and honey.

3- The poffertjes in Holland

If you like small American Pancakes or Russian blinis, you will love the Dutch specialty called poffertjes.

These mini fluffy pancakes are usually served warm with butter and powdered sugar.

They are cooked by dropping tiny spoonfuls of batter into a hot pan.

4- The banh xeo in Vietnam

There are also several kinds of pancakes in Vietnamese cuisine.

The one that most resembles (visually) our Breton pancakes is the banh xeo, even though it is prepared with rice flour.

So it is a rice flour based pancake, whose batter is colored with turmeric or saffron powder.

The pancake is then filled with pork, shrimp and bean sprouts, and folded in half.

It is accompanied by Mustard greens or salad, aromatic herbs and nuoc mam.

5- Tortillas in Mexico

Finally, it was impossible to conclude this world tour of pancakes without talking about Mexican tortillas.

These large, thick patties from wheat or corn flour are very soft.

They serve as the base for several iconic Mexican or Tex-Mex cuisine specialties like fajitas, tacos and enchiladas.

The latter have the particularity of being covered with cheese and gratinated in the oven before being served.

As you can see, Mexican tortillas can be used in a variety of ways and filled with all kinds of fillings, such as beef, chicken or vegetables.