Oma's Kaiserschmarrn: Austrian Pancake Recipe – German Torn Pancakes (2024)

FAQs

What is Kaiserschmarrn made of? ›

Kaiserschmarren is a light, caramelized pancake made from a sweet batter using flour, eggs, sugar, salt, and milk, fried in butter.

The name means “imperial mess” in German. The story goes that a frazzled farmer created the dish in a tizzy when Austria's Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife showed up hungry at his home. As a last-ditch attempt to save face, the farmer shredded his disastrous pancake and topped it with sugar and marmalade.

German pancakes use a whole lot more eggs and no added leavening agent. German Pancakes are also baked in the oven to a golden perfection. Whereas the traditional American pancake uses baking soda or powder to help it fluff up and is cooked on a hot stovetop or grill and is much fluffier when done.

There are many legends on the origins of Kaiserschmarrn. Wikipedia provides the most fanciful legend surrounding its creation by the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in the days of the Empire. It is generally agreed that the dish was first prepared for the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830–1916).

German pancakes and Dutch babies are essentially the same thing, but the dish is said to have originated in Germany, not the Netherlands. The term “Dutch baby” was coined by an American restaurateur whose use of “Dutch” was a corruption of the word “Deutsch” (“German” in German).

The center of a German Pancakes is supposed to be flat. If the edges are flat, then it likely is a result of either the oven or the pan not being hot enough. It the dish isn't hot, then steam won't be created when the batter is poured into the pan, and instead, the batter will set and bake evenly.

Dutch babies, popovers, German pancakes, Yorkshire pudding are all the same thing just different names. Technically these are all baked puddings and delicious. Try serving them with my delicious strawberry syrup.

France – Crêpes

You can't possibly make a list of the world's best pancakes and not include France. Crêpes are unavoidable throughout the country. There are two main types of French crêpes – sweet ones (crêpes sucrées) and savoury ones (crêpes salées). Savoury crêpes are commonly known as 'galettes'.

Our prehistoric ancestors just may have eaten pancakes.

Analyses of starch grains on 30,000-year-old grinding tools suggest that Stone Age cooks were making flour out of cattails and ferns—which, researchers guess, was likely mixed with water and baked on a hot, possibly greased, rock.

People began using the word “pancake” during the 15th century, and the word became standard in 19th century America. Previously, people referred to them as Indian cakes, hoe cakes, johnnycakes, journey cakes, buckwheat cakes, griddle cakes, and flapjacks. Early American pancakes were made with buckwheat or cornmeal.

Did they eat pancakes in medieval times? ›

Pancakes were also a simple enough meal for all to afford and enjoy. The ancient Greeks used honey drizzled on flat loafs, while the Romans created a dish similar to the modern pancake. During Medieval Times, they made their pancakes with barely or rye without a leavening, unlike the fluffy versions we know today.

Blodplättar (in Swedish; blodpannekaker in Norwegian, veriohukainen, verilätty or verilettu in Finnish; verikäkk in Estonian), or blood pancakes in English are a dish served in Finland, Estonia, Sweden and Norway made of whipped blood (typically reindeer blood), water or pilsner, flour and eggs.

These pancakes are derived from the purple yam known as ube. It has a beautiful deep purple color that adds a visually appealing element to your breakfast, brunch, or dessert. These pancakes are prepared by incorporating ube extract and ube halaya, which is also known as mashed ube or ube jam, into pancake batter.

The batter is made with flour, tempura scraps (tenkasu), grated yam (nagaimo or yamaimo), and eggs. It's then mixed with shredded cabbage and sometimes additional ingredients like shrimp and squid. A classic topping is pork belly slices, placed on top of the savory pancake while grilling.