Pancake: A Global History

 Round, thin and made of starchy batter cooked on a flat surface, the pancake is a food that goes by many names: crepes, flapjacks and okonomiyaki, to name just a few. This treat is a treasured food the world over, and now Ken Albala unearths the surprisingly rich history of pancakes and their sizzling goodness. Pancake traverses over centuries and civilizations to examine the culinary and cultural importance of pancakes in human history. From the Russian blini to the Ethiopian injera, Albala reveals how pancakes have been a perennial source of sustenance from the Greek and Roman eras to the Middle Ages through to the present day. He explores how the pancake has gained symbolic currency in diverse societies as a comfort food, a portable victual for travellers, a celebratory dish and a breakfast meal. This book also features a number of delicious historic and modern recipes tracing the first official pancake recipe to a sixteenth-century book. "Pancake" is a witty and erudite history of a well-known food favourite.

Review: Albala perfectly marries [his] occupational penchant for facts with an innate literary style. His personal musings on the definition of the pancake often mirror a one-man, Socratic approach to problem-solving. Though the questions are posed internally, Albala is able to intelligently convey the results of his reflections to his audience, and the reader instantly becomes a willing party to the author's pursuit of the elusive pancake. In his erudite and witty book Pancake, Albala details the history of the pancake from the first appearance of the work pancake in English in the 15th century, up to the creation of modern-day institutions like IHOP The Edible Series contains some of the most delicious nuggets of food and drink history ever. Every volume is such a fascinating and succinct read that I had to devour each in just a single sitting ... food writing at its best! -- Ken Hom The first printed recipes for modern-style pancakes appear in the 16th century The earliest pancake chains started in California in the mid-1950s The oldest pancake race is said to date from 1445 Blinis are commonly served after funerals in Russia Japanese okonomayaki-style pancakes usually feature ingredients such as seaweed and bonito flakes and are served with brown sauce or mayonnaise