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

FAQs

What is the difference between pancakes and Kaiserschmarrn? ›

Kaiserschmarrn are an egg-white leavened pancake often served with fruit and nuts, with the pancake itself being shredded for presentation. This is different than the most typical pancakes served in the US, which are not egg-white leavened, but baking powder leavened, but it is still a type of pancake.

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.

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).

In the South, pancakes are interchangeably called hotcakes, griddlecakes, and flapjacks, though British flapjacks are made with rolled oats cooked in the oven. In the U.S., pancakes are made with flour, eggs, butter, and milk, and cooked on a griddle or frying pan to form leavened flat cakes.

Kaiserschmarrn (Scrambled Pancake) is an Austrian dessert that's also very popular in Bavaria! A sweet fluffy pancake made with rum-soaked raisins is torn into bite-sized pieces, caramelized, and served sprinkled with powdered sugar, applesauce, and preserves.

A blini (plural blinis or blini, rarely bliny; Russian: блины pl.), singular: blin, is an Eastern European pancake made from various kinds of flour or buckwheat, wheat, etc.

One of the many legends about the origin of Kaiserschmarren says that Emperor Franz Joseph I liked to have Palatschinken (pancakes) for dessert. If the cook made them too thick or torn, they were served to the staff as "Kaiserschmarrn", because they were not good enough for the Emperor.

Pancakes were a good way to use up stores of about-to-be-forbidden perishables like eggs, milk, and butter, and a yummy last hurrah before the upcoming grim period of church-mandated fast. In the American colonies, pancakes—known as hoe cakes, johnnycakes, or flapjacks—were made with buckwheat or cornmeal.

What is the oldest pancake? ›

600 BC - The first recorded mention of pancakes dates back to ancient Greece and comes from a poet who described warm pancakes in one of his writings.

History. The Ancient Greeks made pancakes called τηγανίτης (tēganitēs), ταγηνίτης (tagēnitēs) or ταγηνίας (tagēnias), all words deriving from τάγηνον (tagēnon), "frying pan". The earliest attested references to tagenias are in the works of the 5th-century BC poets Cratinus and Magnes.

In ancient Greece and Rome, pancakes were made from wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk. Ancient Greek poets Cratinus and Magnes wrote about pancakes in their poetry. Shakespeare even mentions them in his famous plays.

Unlike traditional pancakes, Japanese versions often incorporate soufflé-like qualities, creating a unique sensory experience. The key lies in using egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks, and abundant eggs in the batter. This meticulous approach results in a texture that is light, airy, and almost ethereal.

The words flapjacks, hotcakes, and griddlecakes are all used as synonyms for what are most generally and popularly called pancakes. Usage of some of these terms varies by region.

A crêpe or crepe (/kreɪp/ or /krɛp/, French: [kʁɛp], Quebec French: [kʁaɪ̯p]) is a very thin type of pancake. Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: sweet crêpes (crêpes sucrées) or savoury galettes (crêpes salées).

In the US and Canada, pancakes and flapjacks are the same thing, but which word applies is mainly a regional difference. I know in the states we northerners are more likely to say pancake, but down south the flapjack is more likely to be the star of the breakfast table.