Better known as Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to use up over-indulgent ingredients such as eggs, milk and sugar before the fasting period of Lent.

At least that’s what Shrove Tuesday used to be for. These days, of course, it’s about making some delicious pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Research has revealed that many Brits no longer bother with Pancake Day, while a quarter of us don’t even know how to make a pancake!

The research, which was carried out by – surprise, surprise – Lyle’s Golden Syrup, found that half of us don’t celebrate Pancake Day at all any more.

“It is such a shame to see the British tradition of Pancake Day declining in the UK with our research revealing that 17 per cent of Brits feel that it has become an overrated celebration,” said Elpida Gailani, from Lyle’s Golden Syrup.

So, with these worrying statistics in mind, we thought we’d bring you some of the best pancakes from around the world to rekindle the British public’s love of this humble treat.

Pancake Day in England. Image by Magnus D

England

Where better to start than right here in Blighty? We make our pancakes in a similar way to that in mainland Europe, but seem to reserve them purely for Pancake Day each year.

A simple recipe of plain flour, eggs and milk is whipped up to make a runny batter, which is then spread thinly in a frying pan to create large, often spotty pancakes.

Once this is done, you know the rest: chuck on some lemon juice and a generous helping of sugar, and repeat until queasy.

Scottish pancakes

Scotland

They take a slightly different approach to pancakes north of the border, choosing to go down the small and fat route, rather than the large and thin route.

Using the same simple recipe, with some added sugar and a raising agent in bicarbonate of soda, this gives them their plumper, fluffier nature and makes them more suited to sweet toppings.

French crêpe. Image by vmiramontes

France

No proper look at some of the world’s best pancakes would be complete without the world-famous French crêpe entering calculations.

Made with the same simple recipe we use on Pancake Day, the French crêpe has been exported around the world and is especially popular in East Asia.

The crêpe is all about the toppings, either sweet or savoury, which are usually applied in generous amounts.

Peking duck. Image by joyosity

China

China isn’t the first place that springs to mind when we think of pancakes, but they form a crucial part of one of the most popular Chinese dishes in Britain – crispy aromatic duck.

These pancakes are incredibly light and thin, have a very subtle taste and are made with dough rather than batter.

American pancakes. Image by Belathee Photography

America

Like Scottish pancakes, American pancakes are made with a thick batter that contains a raising agent to create plump, sweet treats.

They are generally thicker than Scottish pancakes, and are far more likely to be consumed at breakfast. Though American pancakes can be eaten with savoury toppings like bacon, most of the time you’ll find them with maple syrup, jam or blueberries.

(Featured image by thinkpublic)

Alex Francis (115 Posts)

Blogger and travel writer, I like my holidays either really cold or really hot. If I'm not flying down an icy mountain or relaxing on a scorching-hot beach, I'm not interested!

American pancakes, crispy aromatic duck, drop scones, French crepe, Lent, Lyle’s Golden Syrup, Pancake Day, pancakes, Scotch pancakes, Shrove Tuesday, tourism, travel