For many of us, pancakes are something we whip up once a year when Shrove Tuesday rolls into view. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but pancakes are so much more than a once-a-year gimmick – they're a delicious way to bring together all sorts of flavours.
We tend to gravitate towards the same old fluffy American and thinner French-style pancake recipes, but pancakes actually have roots in food cultures all over the world. In Vietnam, crispy coconut milk 'bánh xèo' pancakes are filled with crunchy vegetables and wrapped in lettuce leaves. 'Cachapas' (corn pancakes) are eaten in South American countries like Colombia and Venezuela, often folded around melted cheese. You have okonomiyaki in Japan, kimchi pancakes in Korea. Even injera – the aerated, slightly tart flatbread that Ethiopians eat with every meal – is somewhat of a pancake. The concept of cooking starch-based batter in pans exists all over the world, largely because of its versatility.
Tough as it is to choose between a whole host of fantastic pancake options, we've pulled out the five that we find ourselves turning to the most. Scroll down for our top picks, or take a look at our huge collection of pancake recipes for even more inspiration.
For many of us the ideal Pancake Day boils down to a bowl of sugar and several juicy lemons, loath to gild the lily any further with elaborate sauces and fillings. Simplicity is not without its pitfalls, however; as Mary Berry is so fond of saying, nothing shows up a culinary mistake quicker than a classic. For guaranteed pancake success we turn to Dominic Chapman, a man whose batter can't be bettered, and his easy pancake recipe which creates the perfect canvas for a little lemon and sugar. An excellent one for cooking with kids.
American-style pancakes are often made with buttermilk, which gives the pancakes a nice fluffy texture. The key to really light, airy buttermilk pancakes is not to over-mix the batter – the more you work it, the more gluten you'll develop, which will make your pancakes tougher. Once you've made the batter, cook each pancakes in a pan, then eat with maple syrup and crispy bacon for that authentic American diner experience.
Savoury pancakes are easily forgotten in all the excitement of sugar and syrups on Shrove Tuesday, but if you plan on basing your entire evening meal around the pancake theme, Thuy Pham's incredible bánh xèo are a great place to start. They're a little more complex to make – the pancake batter is made with coconut milk and the crêpe is then filled with pork belly, prawns, carrots and beansprouts, before being eaten with lettuce leaves, tons of herbs and a classic Vietnamese dipping sauce.
Once the little ones have gone to bed and you've peeled any errant pancakes off the ceiling, Pancake Day for grown-ups can begin in earnest. For this, we turn to the French classic (after all, they know their pancakes) that is the Galvin brothers' crêpes Suzette. With wafer-thin crêpes drenched in a sticky, boozy sauce, this recipe is largely faithful to the traditional crêpes Suzette, although forgoes the final flambéing – good news for kitchens already in a state of semi-destruction after the children have had their go.
Give these banana pancakes a shot on Shrove Tuesday, and you might just find yourself making them every Sunday morning for the rest of the year – they're that good. Sally Abe's recipe is dead simple too – just mix all your ingredients together, then cook your batter in a pan until golden brown on both sides.
Everyone loves a classic scotch pancake – they're smaller and thicker than a crêpe, making them perfect for American-style stacking. Pollyanna Coupland's foolproof recipe is the one we turn to time and time again when we're whipping up pancake towers for friends and family – these are best topped with melted butter, or you can opt for a sweeter finish with honey, berries and yogurt.
Pancakes are just as popular over in Italy, where they're often stuffed with all manner of sweet and savoury fillings. In Tuscany, locals make pancakes called necci with nothing more than chestnut flour and water. The natural sweetness of the chestnut flour lends itself well to savoury fillings – sheep's milk ricotta and a little chestnut honey is a classic combination – but you can mix things up with whatever you like.
If you're looking for a straightforward pancake recipe to really impress your guests, Colin McGurran's rhubarb and berry blintzes are a fantastic start – combining three simple elements to create a striking, delicious result. Colin makes his pancakes then folds them neatly with a cream cheese filling, before topping with the compote.
Sitting somewhere between a pancake and a Yorkshire pudding, Izzy Hossack's Dutch baby pancake is perfect if you're looking for an easy way to feed a group. Izzy makes her pancake batter as normal, but cooks it in a hot oven instead of on the hob, giving the final pancake a slightly souffléd texture. Take it out, slice it up and enjoy with your favourite toppings.
Chantelle Nicholson's ricotta pancake method is full of clever little tricks that you can apply to all your pancake creations. Perhaps the best of all is the separation of the eggs – Chantelle beats her egg whites until they're fluffy, almost like a meringue, then folds them back into her pancake batter, giving the final result an incredibly light, airy finish.
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