Around the world in 80 pancakes: Rogue ideas from around the globe

Stuck in a pancake rut? Or just wanting to break out of your comfort zone today? Jump off the jiff lemon bandwagon and try these continental crepes. 

We’ve tried and tested a selection of alternative pancakes, so you can find the perfect destination for your palates.

Indian – Tikka

Indian cuisine is frequently, and very successfully, accompanied by light carby products: chapattis, naan, samosa’s, you name it. So you’d expect the humble pancake would complement a tikka; yet, despite being an actual ‘thing’ if you Google it, this was one hell of a disappointment. The combination was so painfully underwhelming that we were left wholeheartedly dissatisfied.

Cohesion with pancake – 5/10

Aesthetic value – 5/10

Overall satisfaction – 5/10

Italian – Meatballs

Second up, we have the quintessentially Italian dish of spaghetti and meatballs, with a delicate tomato and basil sauce and garlic bread. Understandably, expectations were not the highest, and once plated up we approached the pancake with some trepidation. But it’s a well known fact of life that carb on carb never fails and surprisingly, this was exquisite.

Cohesion with pancake – 7/10

Aesthetic value – 9/10

Overall satisfaction – 8/10

American – Fried Chicken

Colonel Sanders would be turning in his grave. It was discovered almost immediately that fried chicken and egg based goods are definitely not a match made in heaven, despite this being reminiscent of early “Man V Food” episodes.

The combination was so foul, one member of the judging panel spat his clean out. How could such a crowd pleasing dish possibly become so monstrous?

Cohesion with pancake – 1/10

Aesthetic value – 7/10

Overall satisfaction – 2/10

French – Mussels

Despite being the dish with the lowest expectations, this Parisian concoction blew all other pancakes out of the pan. Before tasting, there were many seafood related grumbles and the de-shelling of the mussles was a tedious process, but the unlikely combination actually warmed to the palette like a duck to water.

Cohesion with pancake – 10/10

Aesthetic value – 2/10

Overall satisfaction – 9/10

English – Cooked breakfast

Granted it’s only sausage and beans, but fitting in all the components of a full English would have been a logistical nightmare, not to mention a tragic waste of food.

What made this so bitterly disspointing was the expectation. Fry up based foods, breakfast sandwiches and sausage and bean slices for example, are usually so glorious. It’s a consistent formula that is usually fulfilling, and satisfying round the clock.

Yet, this couldn’t have been further. The pancake added nothing to the combination, and adding any other egg form on top would have pushed it to vomit-inducing point.

Again, a pancake with such potential that simply crashed and burned.

Cohesion with pancake – 5/10

Aesthetic value – 3/10

Overall satisfaction – 4/10

Mexican – fajitas

You’d think swapping the tradition flour tortilla in your fajita for some sweet, sweet pancakey goodness would be a small, unfelt change. It certain looks pretty similar. If anything, it might even add something more to the dish.

It doesn’t. The filling alone was delightful, and that’s how it should have remained. A filling. Alone.

Savoury pancakes are not unheard of, but spicy Mexican tasting ones are… for a reason. The majority of the other pancakes have been major let downs, and the fajitas are no exception.

Cohesion with pancake – 3/10

Aesthetic value – 6/10

Overall satisfaction – 4/10