I made 10 pancakes from around the world, there are two I’ll make again and again
I love pancakes but always opt for crêpes and fluffy American-style, so I decided to branch out and try different recipes from around the world, there were some real winners… By Izzie Cox Pancakes are eaten and celebrated all over the world – from fluffy ones covered in maple syrup from the US to veg-packed okonomiyaki from Japan and fermented injera from Ethiopia. Even within the UK where there are multiple names for pancakes – Scotch pancakes, pikelets, Staffordshire oatcakes… the list goes on! Every year on Pancake Day I seem to go for the same basic pancake recipe, with lemon and sugar. It is a classic for a reason, but this year I decided it was time to challenge myself. I set out to try 10 different pancake recipes from across the globe… Disclaimer: As with many dishes, the exact historical origins of pancake recipes are complex, so I’ve stated the country/ies that the pancakes are now most associated with. Pikelets – Wales/Australia Difficulty: 2.5/5 Pikelets – a cross between crumpets and a drop scone, have strong historical associations with both Wales and the West Midlands, but are probably now most well-known in Australia. They are time consuming to make as the mix needs at least an hour to prove, but actual hands-on time is minimal and the cooking method is very simple. The results were satisfyingly chewy, with a versatile, slightly tangy flavour. I had them with a little butter, raspberry compote and syrup, but you could have lots of different tasty sweet and savoury combinations. Okonomiyaki – Japan Difficulty: 1.5/5 This savoury pancake sees ingredients such as cabbage, pork and seafood mixed into a wheat batter before being cooked on a flat grill. The pancake is then finished with a special okonomiyaki sauce and toppings like Japanese mayo, bonito flakes and pickled ginger. The okonomiyaki was very easy and quick to make, coming together in about 15 minutes. It’s also super customisable, perfect for using up random veg in the fridge – I added mushrooms and tofu to my mix and finished with Japanese mayo and crispy onions. The combination of the veg-packed pancakes and super tasty toppings is a great one that I’m going to have on repeat for lunch. Fluffy American pancakes - USA Difficulty: 1/5 A staple of diner menus and breakfast tables across the US, the recipe is incredibly easy to follow and a breeze to cook. I highly recommend serving them with a little bit of butter, crispy (veggie) bacon and maple syrup! Dan bing – Taiwan Difficulty – 2.5/5 STAR PANCAKE A popular breakfast choice in Taiwan. You make a crêpe and then add an omelette mix (you’re meant to add a Taiwanese soy paste to this, but I used miso) to the pan, creating a second layer. Once it’s cooked, you roll it up before serving with a savoury dipping sauce. The cooking and rolling process can be a little daunting but trust the timings and it’s fine. I would recommend rolling the pancake in the pan rather than once you’ve transferred to a plate as there’s less chance of breakage. The result was so tasty, I will definitely be making this again. Kaiserschmarrn – Austria Difficulty – 2.5/5 STAR PANCAKE With little knowledge on this Austrian treat, I decided to speak to an expert – Hubert Zanier, owner of Austrian London-based restaurant Kipferl. “Kaiserschmarrn is the most famous and popular Austrian dessert, named after the Austrian Emperor Franz-Joseph I who apparently loved this dish. It’s a shredded pancake with a light and fluffy dough, traditionally served with freshly made fruit compotes,” Zanier explained to me. The key to achieving the light and fluffy texture says Zanier, is “the way you mix the beaten egg whites into the dough, the more carefully and gently you do it, the softer and lighter the Kaiserschmarrn will turn out.” The batter’s cooked in a pan until your pancake is golden on both sides. Then it’s topped with rum-soaked raisins and broken into pieces with a spatula and caramelised. I served mine dusted with icing sugar and with a little raspberry compote. It was fluffy, sweet and full of flavour, the perfect special occasion pancake! This was the Kaiserschmarrn I made. They were one of my two favourite pancakes. Dosa – India Difficulty – 5/5 A thin and crispy fermented crêpe, this popular street food originates from Southern India. It’s often filled with spiced potato or cheese and served with sambar or chutney. The dosa was one I had to plan ahead for – as you need to soak the rice and urid dal (split black gram) for 3-4 hours, then blitz and leave them to ferment together for 6-8 hours. It’s also a tricky cooking method, I’ve attempted dosa before, and I always struggle to get the batter thin and crispy. You’d definitely benefit from investing in a dosa/crêpe pan if this is something you’d like to make regularly. I accidentally bought whole urid dal rather than split which had a significant visual and flavour impact (but did make the pancakes even more nutritious). I know dosa are crisp and satisfying from eating them at Indian restaurants, but my homemade version was sadly not, nor that tasty. This crispy Indian pancake is often stuffed with different spiced veg Crêpes – France Difficulty – 1/5 Crêpes are one of France’s most famous, and perhaps most accessible, culinary exports. A batter made of flour, eggs and milk is cooked as a thin, wide pancake and filled with a variety of sweet and savoury fillings. The crêpe batter is quick and easy to make – it’s just important to have your pan at the right temperature and be quick when spreading the batter around the pan. As I had mine for breakfast, I served them with orange slices and a little grated dark chocolate instead of the classic suzette sauce. They were rich, buttery and sweet. Injera – Ethiopia/Eritrea Difficulty – 5/5 "In Ethiopian cuisine, injera is the staple bread; no meal is complete without it,” explains Berekti Mengistu, owner of Mesob restaurant in New Jersey, USA. It’s a sour, fermented pancake-like flatbread, often served topped with a variety of stews to scoop and dip. Making them takes time. You make the initial batter (consisting of flour, water and optional yeast) 3-5 days in advance of when you want to cook so it has time to ferment – the key step to creating “truly exceptional injera with a distinct tangy flavour and soft, spongy texture” according to Berekti. I went for a mixture of brown teff and wheat flour, as the gluten in the wheat flour makes the batter easier to work with. I also used shop bought yeast rather than allowing wild yeast to develop during the fermentation process to reduce the risk of mould forming.Cooking injera is straight-forward. You pour off the water that’s separated and then take a few tablespoons of the batter and mix with boiling water until thickened, return it to the rest of the batter. Cooking is simple as you don’t need to flip, just add a lid to the pan so it steams. My injera didn’t develop as many bubbles as I’d have liked, but it was really tasty with a strong beer-like sour, fermented flavour. I served them with a few Ethiopian stews – shiro wat (a roasted gram flour-based stew), misir wot (red lentil stew) and gomen wat (spiced greens) and it was a wonderful, flavour-packed meal. I’m keen to have another go at making injera to refine my technique. My injera could have done with a few more bubbles but they were really tasty Tapiocas – Brazil Difficulty – 3.5/5 “Tapiocas are a staple in northeastern Brazil, where my mum is from,” says Ixta Belfrage, a London-based chef with Brazilian heritage. She explains: “Tapiocas are made from tapioca starch… they’re nothing like traditional wheat pancakes, they’re white and have a crispy and chewy texture that I love, but that takes non-Brazilians some getting used to!”The method for making tapiocas isn’t hard as there are only two ingredients – tapioca starch and water, but there is a difficulty in working with unfamiliar methods. Belfrage advises: “When you hydrate the tapioca starch, make sure it’s moist but not wet. You should be able to scoop it up and sprinkle it into the pan without it being too runny or too dry. The pan should be non-stick and preheated over a medium heat. You don't want it too hot or the tapioca will burn, but if it’s too cold, it’ll be too soft and not crisp up as it should. The ideal is a nice, even sizzle when the starch hits the pan. Make sure to spread the mix out in an even layer.” Sticking to this advice, making the tapiocas was simple. I served mine with a little cheese, scrambled egg and hot sauce. I loved the texture and flavour, it was very unusual. I will definitely be adding them to my pancake rotation. I made this pancake with just two ingredients - tapioca starch and water Blinis – Russia/Ukraine Difficulty – 3/5 Blinis are yeasted pancakes from Eastern Europe, traditionally made with buckwheat flour, milk, eggs and yeast, and served with smoked salmon or caviar. The batter takes a while to make as it needs two separate proves and whipped egg whites folded in, but it’s not tricky. The cooking process also takes a fair amount of time as you’re making so many – top tip, drop the batter from the end of your tablespoon (rather than the side) for rounder blinis. I decided to go for sweet toppings for mine. A little crème fraiche, raspberry jam and fresh raspberry, which worked really well. I loved cooking my way around the world in pancake recipes and learning different techniques with them all. I began to spot similarities in methods from cuisines which are geographically quite distant. My two favourite recipes were the Taiwanese dan bing and the Austrian kaiserschmarrn, which were full of flavour and different textures and perfect for different sweet and savoury occasions. I’m looking forward to making most of the pancakes again, building on my learnings and experimenting with different toppings and fillings. Although maybe not for a few months, me (and my housemates) are pretty excited about having a break from eating pancakes for every meal… Originally published February 2025 Want more? Visit BBC Food on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Want to watch the latest Food TV programmes? Visit BBC iPlayer.