What makes pancakes a universally popular dish?

A pancake is a flat cake prepared from a batter and fried in a pan or another hot surface, like a griddle. The batter may contain eggs, milk, flour, and baking powder. When certain regions replace milk with buttermilk, they call it a buttermilk pancake. You can add fruits like apples, strawberries, and bananas to the batter. Or, you can top it with maple syrup, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or even ice cream. 

Also known as flapjack, crêpe, or hotcake in some places, pancakes have existed for over 5,000 years. People in ancient Greece and Rome had pancakes with honey as a sweetener. Pancakes also exist in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. They come in many types. Pancakes enjoy universal popularity. This is because they are easy to make and can be had in flavours that appeal to different tastes worldwide.

What makes pancakes a universally popular dish?

The dish was designed for the working class. But in the late Victorian era, the English had caviar pancakes as a dessert. In America, European immigrants introduced their varieties of pancakes. People added baking powder to them, making it a staple breakfast dish in the U.S. Maple syrup became the most popular topping in pancakes room. 

In Great Britain, Australia, and other Commonwealth nations, it became linked to Lent, the fasting period before Easter. People in these countries had it on Shrove Tuesday before they started their fasting. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day in these countries.

The popularity of pancakes around the world

Meanwhile, in North America, a restaurant chain, IHOP, exclusively only pancakes. The Original Pancake House caters to pancake fans across the U.S. Australia has Pancake Parlour and Pancakes on the Rocks for its pancake lovers. Canada, too, has its pancake restaurant chain.

In England, cooks make pancakes from milk, eggs, and plain flour. People consume them like French crêpes and Italian crespelle as a sweet dessert, topping them with sugar and lemon juice.

Kenyans have pancakes for breakfast. This African country’s pancakes are akin to English pancakes. In South Africa, people call pancakes pannekoeke. They’re often served with cinnamon sugar. Prepared on gas stoves, the citizens of this country eat them on cold and wet days.

Chefs make Chinese pancakes, which can be either sweet or savoury, with dough instead of batter. Japanese pancakes, known as okonomiyaki, are prepared using cabbage, eggs, and flour.

Chefs prepare Indonesian pancakes, which are known as panekuk, using rice flour and coconut milk. Their toppings include sugar, chocolate, or fruits such as jackfruit and bananas.

In Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, they prepare dishes with either marmalade or meat, vegetables, cheese, and tomato sauce.  Exclusive pancake rooms in the countries around France, including Belgium and Switzerland, sell crepes. 

Pfannkuchen, German pancakes, are denser than the crêpes of France and are often made with sweet fillings. Teganites, Greek pancakes, like most other pancakes, are either sweet or tasty.

Canadian and American pancakes are usually breakfast dishes. They are topped with table syrup or maple syrup. When served as a dessert, ice cream, various fruits, and chocolate syrup are the toppings for pancakes.

In Australia, pancakes of the American variety are popular. They are either a breakfast dish or a dessert. They contain sugar, lemon juice, maple syrup, and butter or ice cream. 

According to Mordor Intelligence, a global market research firm, the market size of pancakes is worth USD 576.5 billion globally as of 2024. By 2029, its value is expected to surge to USD 750.6 billion, as the CAGR is expected to be 5.42% during this period. 

The research firm ascribes its popularity to its easy preparation and availability in most fast-food chains. Moreover, as it is a vegetarian item, this food item has more takers. It is also being made available in gluten-free form, which will only lead to its increasing popularity. However, it is not a vegan-friendly dish. 

Pancakes and Their Indian Variants

India is home to various types of pancakes across its length and breadth. All are made with leavening agents. In North India, they are called cheela. Sweet cheela is made with a flour-based batter, with either sugar or jaggery added to sweeten it. Moong dal (gram paste) cheela, which tastes salty, is alternatively made with gram flour.

In Southern India, dosa, appam, and uttapam are the most popular pancakes. To prepare them, the ingredients are fermented rice batter and split-skinned black lentils. They are later mixed with water before cooking. People consume meetha pooda, a sweet Punjabi pancake, with chutney and pickles. It is served as a breakfast dish.

Pati-shapta, the Bengali pancake, also a sweet food dish, is stuffed with thickened milk or ground coconut. 

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