Facts
Another name for pancake day?
Shrove Tuesday
Which religion celebrates pancake day?
Christianity
Percentage of people that add syrup on pancakes?
~25%
What was the first crepe made of?
Porridge
What makes (American) pancakes fluffy?
Carbon dioxide air bubbles from the reaction between acid (buttermilk) and base (baking soda)
What is the day after pancake day?
Ash Wednesday
Why did people eat pancakes?
Way to get rid of fatty/leftover food in the house
How many eggs are used in the UK for pancake day (nearest million)?
52 million
When is national blueberry pancake day in the US?
28th Jan
What reaction gives the pancakes their brown/golden colour?
The Maillard reaction: reaction between amino acids in proteins with the oxygen and carbon from sugars
How is the date of pancake day calculated each year?
It is the Tuesday 7 weeks before Easter
Historical name for pancakes in England?
15m
What are poffertjes
Little Dutch mini-pancakes
When do you have to use baking powder vs baking soda?
Baking soda is basic so needs to react with acidic buttermilk.
Regular milk is not acidic hence will not create bubbles with baking soda. Baking powder needs to be used with regular milk because it is baking soda with powdered acid in the mix which just needs water to react
What does 'shrove' mean?
It comes from the word 'to shrive' which means to confess sins
How long have pancakes been around? (Give the age or a guess of how many years ago)
Most pancake flips done in 1 minute?
140
What did Ruth Graves Wakefield invent?
Chocolate chip pancakes
Why does over-mixing the pancake batter cause tougher pancakes?
Mixing causes the gluten molecules to bind in a web-like network to trap air bubbles. Over-mixing makes it more tightly wound so there is smaller space to trap the bubbles