PANCAKES

The pancake is probably the oldest form of bread. Ancient ceremonies connected with it are still practiced in some places, although, generally speaking, their first significance long ago passed into oblivion. The most widely observed is the popular custom in many communities of eating them on Shrove Tuesday, which, especially in France, often develops into a veritable pancake feast.

English, American and French pancakes all have distinctively national characteristics. The old-fashioned English type is the lightest of all, as the batter is mixed with ale and allowed to rise. This method also makes the English pancake thicker than the American. It is properly served flat, as also is the American, instead of folded like the French, piping hot, dusted with pulverized sugar and sprinkled with lemon juice.

The American "batter cake" is usually raised by means of baking powder or yeast, but not with ale nor to the same extent as the English.

French pancakes contain no leavening material other than the eggs which are included in the best receipts--it is only their thinness that prevents them from being tough. They are generally spread with jam or jelly, rolled up omelet fashion, covered with sugar and glazed by melting the sugar in an oven or branding with a red-hot iron.