The Historical Journey of Pancake Day Recipes
As Pancake Day approaches, it's the perfect time to delve into the rich culinary history of this beloved dish. Recipes from the earliest published cookbooks reveal that in England, pancakes were traditionally made very thinly, giving rise to the phrase "flat as a pancake." These early versions were crafted from a generous amount of wet ingredients, which were typically forbidden during the pre-Easter Lenten Fast. Ingredients like eggs, cream, butter, and animal fats were all products from which people were expected to abstain, along with other meats.
This historical context explains why pancakes, though often eaten year-round, became closely associated with Shrovetide—the days leading up to Lent. Cooks aimed to clear out their pantries to avoid temptation during the long fast before Easter. Early pancakes were cooked until crispy and served warm, often topped with butter and a sprinkle of sugar.
Elizabethan Era Pancakes: Ale and Spices
It's common to find recipes in old cookbooks that incorporated ale, similar to the beer-battered fish we know today. One notable recipe from the reign of Elizabeth I is a rich concoction mixing a pint of thick cream, four or five egg yolks, a handful of flour, and two or three spoonfuls of ale. This batter was seasoned with "a good handful of sugar, a spoonful of cinnamon, and a touch of ginger."
The cooking process involved setting the batter aside while heating a knob of butter "as big as your thumb" in a frying pan until it turned "molten brown." After tipping out the fat, the batter was ladled into the tilted pan as thinly as possible over low heat. The pancake was flipped when one side was "baked" and cooked until dry and crispy, but not burned.
Gervase Markham's Influence and Recipe Variations
English poet and writer Gervase Markham's bestselling book, The English Housewife, first published in 1615 and running to at least nine editions, includes a recipe for "the best pancakes." This dish called for two or three beaten eggs mixed with "a pretty quantity of fair running water," seasoned with salt, cloves, mace, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and thickened with "fine Wheate-flower." It was fried in sweetened butter or pig lard and served sprinkled with sugar.
Markham advocated using water over milk or cream, arguing that dairy "makes them tough, cloying and not crisp, pleasant and savoury as running water." Interestingly, refined wheat flour was a luxury item in his time, primarily consumed by affluent families, and only later became a ubiquitous ingredient.
Fritters vs. Pancakes: A Historical Distinction
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the terms pancake and fritter were often used interchangeably, though fritters typically included fruit. Diarist Samuel Pepys noted in his 1661 Shrove Tuesday entry that he enjoyed "the best fritters that ever I eat in my life" at his cousin's house, where pancake batter was being prepared.
A recipe from The Gentlewoman's Cabinet Unlocked (1675) highlights why such dishes were favored in gentlemen's houses. It included nine eggs, half a pint of sack (Spanish wine), a pint of ale, some ale yeast, spices, salt, fine flour, and shredded apples, fried in beef suet or a mix of beef and pig suet.
19th Century Innovations and Modern Adaptations
While earlier recipes mentioned toppings like sugar and rose water, the combination of lemon juice and sugar didn't appear in print until the 19th century. Elizabeth Hammond's Modern Domestic Cookery (1819) featured a pancake recipe with eggs, flour, milk, nutmeg, ginger, and salt, fried in hot lard and served with lemon juice and powdered loaf sugar. Hammond even suggested using "snow" (beaten egg whites) as an egg substitute in winter when eggs were expensive.
In the 20th century, recipes became more precise. In 1923, the flour brand Be-Ro began distributing a recipe book to promote self-raising flour, which included a pancake recipe with 5oz flour, a quarter teaspoon of salt, one egg, and half a pint of milk. The batter was cooked on a "fairly brisk fire" in smoking lard and served with sugar or syrup and lemon or orange. The pamphlet cautioned that satisfactory results required Be-Ro flour.
Today, whether opting for a simple Be-Ro-style pancake or experimenting with boozier historical versions, the key takeaway from history is clear: there's no need to reserve pancakes just for Shrove Tuesday. Their evolution from Elizabethan ale-based batters to modern air fryer techniques showcases a enduring culinary tradition.
