Around the World in Sweet Sauce Dripping and Drenched Pancakes

Believe it or not, pancakes are a universal dessert and their simple nature makes them easy to customize and eat with different fillings or sauces. No matter the part of the world you seek pancakes from, savory and sweet versions exist everywhere. Some are thin, some thick and some are shredded but the essence remains the same; the ingredients also barely differ, with minor substitutions depending on the country’s speciality. There are too many pancakes, and this list brings you some from different parts of the world, touching each corner of the globe. 

1. Kaiserschmarrn

Kicking it off with the dangerous sounding one, this pancake translates to Emperor’s mess, is straight from the heart of Austria. In fact, it was named after the Austrian emperor Kaiser Franz Joseph I (1848–1916), who also ruled Hungary (1867–1916). It was his favorite dessert and typically the Kaiserschmarrn is served sweet with plum, pear, apple or berry compote and a generous dusting of powdered sugar. This pancake is traditionally scrambled and caramelised but modern variations come with a stuffing of nuts, sour cream and even fruits. Travel to any region once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and you will find this treat. 

2. Serabi

These pancakes are from Indonesia with other names such as Surabi, Srabi, and Serabi Kuah. As is the routine of most of the East Asian desserts, this pancake too is made from rice flour. The country uses a generous amount of coconut milk and coconut meat in the pancakes. Indonesia makes both sweet and savoury versions of this pancake. The sweet ones are topped with sugar, bananas, crushed peanuts, jackfruit and chocolate sprinkles. They also have syrup made with strawberries, durian or a kind of coconut syrup. You will find these mostly in Java and some select cities. Thailand has these too but they call it khanom khrok. 

3. Bilini

These are Russia’s version of pancakes and what makes them a tad different is the addition of yeast, the preparation method remains the same. What makes these pancakes notable is they date back the a Pagan ceremony called Maslenitsa, which celebrated the end of winter and the arrival of spring. The pancakes with their circular shape represented the sun and its warmth. 

4. Jeon

Jeon is a blanket term for anything remotely resembling a pancake in Korea, which mostly are popular as savoury treats, but the dessert versions exist too. They are eaten throughout the year but are popular during the Korean Lunar New Year and Korean Harvest Festival, where they are prepared as a tradition. 

5. Pikelets

These are Australian pancakes that are popular in New Zealand, Wales and also Scotland. These Pokemon-sounding pancakes are cooked thick which makes them denser than the typical breakfast pancakes. However, they are intently made small in size and substitute baking powder with yeast. They are served with fresh fruits and sweet syrups. 

6. Crepes

The thinner version of the typical American pancakes, crepes are quintessentially French and almost thin like our Indian roti. Crepes come from the French region of Brittany, and since its discovery, have become a national dish over time for France. Like the Italians put on a show, and flip their pizzas in the air, the French toss their crepes in the air, while it cooks, like an omelette. Crepes usually envelops a filling of jam, chocolate, fruits and sweet preserves.  

7. Apam Balik

Nobody knows where this pancake came from, but people in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei eat it with relish. Think of a dosa that folds in half to stick to the masala potatoes inside, Apam Balik is quite similar in looks, with a sweet filling of peanuts. The exterior can be prepared either as a dense and soft pancake or a thin and crispy one. It can also contain sugar, butter, chocolate and also raisins with peanut filling. It is likely that this pancake was introduced in Malaysia’s Penang by the Chinese who had migrated from Fujian. 

8. Poffertjes

These are Dutch mini pancakes, think small idli-sized, that are cooked on the streets during street festivals or outdoor events. It is typically made with buckwheat flour and yeast and the anime comes from the cooking equipment – poffertjespan. This pan is exclusively used to cook these pancakes. Topped with butter and powdered sugar Poffertjes are eaten as a snack rather than a breakfast item. These pancakes are at least 250 years old and date back to a Dutch recipe in the 1700s.