Ever since I was a little girl in the summer time I would get to go see my great grandmother that lived in California. I would always get excited to see her because she spoke a language I didn’t understand, so I thought it was fun guessing what she could be saying. Later when I was older I realized my grandma was Lithuanian, and over time my great grandma got better at speaking English. She would make me breakfast, and call it Lithuanian pancakes. I loved them, because they weren’t fluffy like normal pancakes, they were light like crepes just a little thicker. The recipe for Lithuanian pancakes has been passed down from family members for over six generations in my family. It turns out from the research I’ve done, the pancakes my great grandmother would make me actually weren’t called Lithuanian pancakes. Lithuanian pancakes are also called depression pancakes, water fried pancakes, and ancient greek pancakes.
The pancakes were referred to as depression pancakes, these pancakes were made out of water, flour, and sugar all of the ingredients were common to have on hand, and were inexpensive. It was a way for families to feed their whole family when food was scarce all over the world. My great grandmother was taught how to make these pancakes from her mother during the great depression. My great grandmother taught my grandma, and my grandma taught me how to make these pancakes that my family calls Lithuanian pancakes(Duncan. A).
The life of depression pancakes, these pancakes were made when food was scarce around the world. The reason these pancakes were made was because they didn’t require dairy products, and had simple ingredients that were cheap. The depression pancakes were used all over the world during the great depression. These pancakes were ate at any time of the day to feed large families that didn’t have a lot of food. Condiments that were used on the depression pancakes range, jam, honey, syrups, or even just butter but butter wasn’t used often since dairy products were scarce. My great grandmother loves having butter on hers, because it was a treat when she was growing up to have butter on hand (Duncan. ML).
The life of water fried pancakes, it turns out that water fried pancakes was a different name used for the depression pancakes. These pancakes were made during the depression era also, but some people didn’t want to call them depression pancakes. So the water fried pancake name was born. The pancakes were implemented all over the world to feed the majority of the population during the great depression. Different cultures put their own spin on the dish, such as “Hoe Cakes” this is a pancake that is made with corn instead of flour, and it fried in oil. The “Hoe Cakes” were primarily made in southern states of the United States. The name “Hoe Cakes” comes from the practice of slaves cooking these pancakes on working hoes in the fields. The term “Hoe” was referring to a griddle that was used all the way back from the 1600s to cook meals(Horten).
Through my extensive research to find these pancakes online I found out that the proper name for the many different named pancakes is Ancient Greek pancakes. Their Latin name is Tagenites /Attanitai, these pancakes are originally from Greece in the ancient time. The Ancient Greek pancakes have taken on many names since the time they were originally made, such as Depression pancakes, Water fried pancakes, Hoe cakes, and even Lithuanian pancakes. To many people it would be an insult to tell them that this food dish is actually a recipe from ancient Greece. Many people only know the pancakes by one specific name, however they are all the same type of pancake (Nenova).
The Tagenites/Attanitai pancakes were originally made twenty five centuries ago. The pancakes were meant to be ate in the morning as breakfast, they would not serve them after dawn. These pancakes are a lot like crepes, but they are a bit thicker. The pancakes would have honey and different types of nuts on them for condiments in Greece. The pancakes were cooked in roasting, and boiling pits because ancient Greece didn’t have the cooking equipment we have today. There has been ancient greek potable ovens discovered, they look like small pizza ovens. The pancakes were fried in a pan called a tagēnon in the portable oven. The tagēnon is a copper frying pan that is very modern for their time, it dates back to the 4th and 5th century. The pancakes were cooked in a very similar way that they are cooked today in modern times(Nenova).
In modern times such as today the recipes for the Ancient Greek Pancakes are much different now. Around the world where food is abundant, people have made modifications to the pancakes, by adding in dairy products, and even switching the flour to cornmeal in some cases. Back in the great depression, the pancakes were made with water, and a little oil. The pancakes were made without any dairy products, because during the great depression many people couldn’t afford dairy products. The main purpose of this dish was to feed a large family with as little food as possible. During the great depression it didn’t matter what time it was the pancakes were used for every meal. The pancakes have taken on very many different ways of being made, but I think food dishes evolve with the human population. When the Ancient Greek pancakes were originally made they were intended for breakfast, and considered a treat. Now in the United States, and across the world these pancakes are once again made for breakfast and considered a treat. Most cultures have dishes that are very similar to other cultures dishes(Nenova).
It’s interesting to see a food dish that has been incorporated into so many different food cultures. These pancakes are sort of like a universal food in a way, so many different cultures are making the pancakes without knowing where they actually come from. The pancakes have evolved over time with the cultures they were being used in. It’s really cool to see how a food dish has traveled through so many different cultures. When you look up recipes to make a meal, you don’t think about where it came from. I think that it’s important to understand the history behind the foods we eat. I never really knew how much culture food dishes have, each dish has a story or many stories behind them. It’s insane to see how far back food dishes date back to, food almost has their own history book. Recipes are passed down generations of families, and we are able to track down specific dishes all the way back to where they originated. This is a specific reason culture is important, because there is so many different types of information we’d lose without the different cultures.
Why did this dish become so popular among so many different cultures? Most evidence points to the idea that during the great depression many areas were suffering from food deficits. This dish was easy to make, and only needs two dry ingredients flour and sugar with some water to make pancake batter. Most families had those items on hand, and these products were affordable at the time. Dry ingredients kept for long amounts of time also, so it was easy for families to stalk up on the couple items. Many different cultures started making these pancakes to survive the food deficits during the great depression. So like wild fire this dish became implemented in many different cultures, such as places like Lithuania, England, and the United States. Ancient Greece has influenced so many different cultures by one of their dishes the ancient greek pancakes. The ancient greek pancakes have taken on a couple different statuses, originally in Greece the pancakes had a high status. Later as this dish started being implemented in other cultures the status of the dish became a low status. The ancient Greek pancakes have a low status, because they were mostly used in houses that couldn’t afford a lot of food. So these pancakes inquired their low status, because they were used to feed the less fortunate families during the great depression. My great grandmother believes Lithuanian pancakes opened up a space for hope when many people couldn’t find enough to eat. My great grandmother told me how her family would make these pancakes for all of their neighbors who didn’t have enough to eat. I believe that my grandma was right it was one of the staple food dishes that helped many people survive during the great depression(Duncan. M).
Work Cited
- Duncan, Amanda. “ History Of Lithuanian Pancakes.” 24 Sept. 2017.
- Duncan, Marle. “ Family History Of Lithuanian Pancakes.” 24 Sept. 2017.
- Duncan, Mary. “Lithuanian Pancakes.” 23 Sept. 2017.
- Horton, Emily. “You’Re Doing It Wrong: Cornbread.” Slate Magazine, SLATE’S CULTURE BLOG, 2 July 2014, www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/07/02/hoecakes_recipe_and_history_how_the_southern_cornbread_got_its_name.html
- Nenova, Stella. “Ancient Greek Pancakes (Tagenites /Attanitai).” Ancient World Alive, Ancient World Alive, 15 July 2015, www.ancientworldalive.com/single-post/2015/06/15/Ancient-Greek-pancakes-Tagenites-Attanitai.
- Rang, chuck. “The Easiest Pancakes Ever.” Courage in the Kitchen, AREAVOICES, 8 Dec. 2015, kitchencourage.areavoices.com/2013/11/27/the-easiest-pancakes-ever/.