What Pancakes Look Like Around the World

Some prefer them thick and fluffy, others like them thin and crisp -- pancakes, a traditional breakfast food in countries all around the world, come in many shapes and forms. Besides being a popular dish to start the morning with, pancakes are also eaten as a part of Shrove Tuesday traditions (for more than 1,000 years according to some sources). Also known as Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday marks the day before the beginning of Lent. As the name reveals, Fat Tuesday became a day to eat fatty and filling foods -- including pancakes -- in preparation for the approaching Lenten fast. Pancakes have since then become a symbol for Shrove Tuesday in many cultures, and the day is also sometimes called Pancake Tuesday.

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The shape, size, and ingredients of a pancake, as well as how it is served, vary depending on where in the world you are. While in the U.S. we often enjoy our pancakes as a heaping pile, drenched in syrup, some countries prefer their pancakes thin and served solo, such as crepes in France or naleśniki in Poland. In Australia, the typical pancakes, pikelets, are snack-sized little rounds that also can be purchased ready-made in grocery stores .

Kaiserschmarrn, the classic Austrian sweet pancake, is torn to pieces before it's served, and in Denmark, making the staple ball-shaped aebleskiverpancakes involves a special frying pan.

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We at The Daily Meal decided to take a look at what the typical sweet pancake looks like in countries all around the world, from Greece to Malaysia, and compiled a list of 12 of our favorite international versions.

-Elsa Säätelä, The Daily Meal

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