Do Russians have pancakes?

[Alpo]

In Russian cooking, do they have any dish that is similar to pancakes? Even if they don't put butter and syrup on it.

 

The French have crepes. In Chinese cooking both mushi pork and Peking duck is wrapped in a pancake to eat it (sort of like a soft taco). You can even stretch a point a little and say that a tortilla is similar to a pancake.

 

In a series of novels this Russian family is introduced to pancakes and syrup by some Americans. And trying to explain what it is to other Russians -- I think I would have said that it was similar to a crepe, but thicker and sweeter. But they seem to have no frame of reference to describe it.

 

I know - fiction. But since so much food is similar all around the world - pierogies, djowza, ravioli are all stuffed dumplings, but those three are russian, chinese, and Italian - it just seems like Russians should have something similar.

 

Do they?

[Subdeacon Joe]

Nope, none at all.  But they do have:

 

Блины

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rip Snorter]

AKA Blini, very good as well.

[Alpo]

In that first one, looks like babushka learned to cook watching The Galloping Gourmet.

 

The way she carefully measured the oil that she added to her flour/sugar mix. Reminded me so much of Galloping adding wine.

 

"Next we add 4 ounces of wine" glug glug glug glug.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

I have seen blini made many times. Nobody ever measured anything.

[Utah Bob #35998]

Rats. Now I want pancakes. Guess I have to get out of bed now.

[Blackwater 53393]

Me to, UB!!

 

DAMN!!  Just remembered!  I’m out of syrup and honey!!

[Subdeacon Joe]

23 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I have seen blini made many times. Nobody ever measured anything.

 

 

At church some of the Old Russian Ladies would get into arguments about how to make proper blini. Especially when asked to write down the recipe so us converts could make them.  How much of what type of flour, yeast v. chemical leavening, do you use milk or buttermilk, or milk and yogurt.  Shura's family came to the US through Harbin, Magda's family fled west and came to the US via France and England. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

Me to, UB!!

 

DAMN!!  Just remembered!  I’m out of syrup and honey!!

 

Use sour cream and smoked salmon.   

[Cyrus Cassidy #45437]

I have no idea, but one of my former colleagues was a Russian interpreter.  He told me they have no translation for "Pizza Hut."  Look at Pizza Hut's logo -- he says they rectified the problem by simply calling it "Pizza Hat."

[Blackwater 53393]

14 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Use sour cream and smoked salmon.   

Smoked salmon sounds good, but I hate sour cream!!

 

Actually, I’m thinking cinnamon/pear preserves!!

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

I’ll stick my neck out here and say that Eastern Europeans don’t have measuring cups and spoons. I have been in a few home goods stores (Metro among others) and never saw them. When I taught baking we used whatever was in the kitchen.

 

I did buy a blini pan, if it is here I will post a picture later.  It has very low sides but I have seen blini made in old cast iron also.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

Thanks @Subdeacon Joe ,

A LOT! 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

My blini pan, purchased in Kyiv.

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

9 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

Smoked salmon sounds good, but I hate sour cream!!

 

Actually, I’m thinking cinnamon/pear preserves!!

 

You could always use Russian or Greek style yogurt if you don't like sour cream.  Pickled herring or caviar are also good on them.  

[Blackwater 53393]

6 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

You could always use Russian or Greek style yogurt if you don't like sour cream.  Pickled herring or caviar are also good on them.  

Yogurt=sour cream.  Okay for cooking, but I don’t like either of them or buttermilk in their plain/natural form!!  And I don’t do frozen yogurt either!

 

 

 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

That is one of the reasons the Russians are thinking about invading Ukraine.  There intelligence services have detected an IHOP in Kiev.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

A typical topping for blini would be to spread jam on it in a thin layer and fold in quarters, use your hands to eat.

[Cholla]

45 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

At church some of the Old Russian Ladies would get into arguments about how to make proper blini. Especially when asked to write down the recipe so us converts could make them.  How much of what type of flour, yeast v. chemical leavening, do you use milk or buttermilk, or milk and yogurt.  Shura's family came to the US through Harbin, Magda's family fled west and came to the US via France and England. 

If you want an argument, ask for the right way to make chili. Pasta or beans, sugar or no sugar, red or green, pork or beef… Depending on where you live it can vary radically. 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

5 minutes ago, Cholla said:

If you want an argument, ask for the right way to make chili. Pasta or beans, sugar or no sugar, red or green, pork or beef… Depending on where you live it can vary radically. 

Denissons or Hormel.

[Blackwater 53393]

3 minutes ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Denissons or Hormel.

WOLF!!

[Cholla]

30 minutes ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Denissons or Hormel.

Wolf…

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Your guys must be gourmets.

[Alpo]

56 minutes ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

There intelligence services have detected an IHOP in Kiev.

I Have One Pancake?

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

2 minutes ago, Alpo said:

I Have One Pancake?

In Kyiv you can have as many as you can afford.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Ok, I watched the videos.  They all like a super smooth batter. With pancakes it is good to leave little lumps, don’t overwork it.

 

the first video, the yeast blini, they were too thick and too brown.  The second video is how I remember them.

[Subdeacon Joe]

4 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Ok, I watched the videos.  They all like a super smooth batter. With pancakes it is good to leave little lumps, don’t overwork it.

 

the first video, the yeast blini, they were too thick and too brown.  The second video is how I remember them.

 

Some of the debate at church was over those things.  Some liked them a bit thick and chewy, others liked them thin and crepe-like.  Lots of butter in the pan so you got crisp edges in either case, but some liked them dark brown, some liked them just golden.  I think both region and class made a difference.  

[Blackwater 53393]

3 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Your guys must be gourmets.

GOT THAT RIGHT!!

 

Fresh baked chocolate chip with pecans and macadamia nuts…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and BACON!!  STILL WARM!!

 

 

 

 

 

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

10 hours ago, Alpo said:

 

You can even stretch a point a little and say that a tortilla is similar to a pancake.

 

 

 

[Alpo]

My wife always made coldcakes. It was weird.

 

Mama would cook individual eggs - fried or poached - and as soon as they were done she put them on a plate and somebody would sit down to eat. Scrambled eggs she just cooked them all together and everybody came and ate, but individual eggs as soon as they came out of the pan somebody was eating them. She did the same thing with French toast or pancakes or waffles. As soon as that one was done it was put on a plate and put on the table.

 

My wife would cook them until there was enough for everybody, which meant that the last ones that were cooked were hot, but the ones on the bottom of the serving platter may have been there for 5 or 10 minutes.

 

Now I suppose if you had a big griddle so you could fry a dozen eggs at a time, or you could cook two dozen 8-inch pancakes, been serving the whole family at once makes sense. But if you're cooking in a 12-inch skillet, you can do two - maybe three - eggs and that's all there's room for.

 

I never could convince her my way was better. That was how her mama done it so that's how it was supposed to be done.

[Utah Bob #35998]

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

My wife always made coldcakes. It was weird.

 

Mama would cook individual eggs - fried or poached - and as soon as they were done she put them on a plate and somebody would sit down to eat. Scrambled eggs she just cooked them all together and everybody came and ate, but individual eggs as soon as they came out of the pan somebody was eating them. She did the same thing with French toast or pancakes or waffles. As soon as that one was done it was put on a plate and put on the table.

 

My wife would cook them until there was enough for everybody, which meant that the last ones that were cooked were hot, but the ones on the bottom of the serving platter may have been there for 5 or 10 minutes.

 

Now I suppose if you had a big griddle so you could fry a dozen eggs at a time, or you could cook two dozen 8-inch pancakes, been serving the whole family at once makes sense. But if you're cooking in a 12-inch skillet, you can do two - maybe three - eggs and that's all there's room for.

 

I never could convince her my way was better. That was how her mama done it so that's how it was supposed to be done.

Or you could put them in a warm oven till they were all done.

[Cholla]

2 hours ago, Alpo said:

My wife always made coldcakes. It was weird.

 

Mama would cook individual eggs - fried or poached - and as soon as they were done she put them on a plate and somebody would sit down to eat. Scrambled eggs she just cooked them all together and everybody came and ate, but individual eggs as soon as they came out of the pan somebody was eating them. She did the same thing with French toast or pancakes or waffles. As soon as that one was done it was put on a plate and put on the table.

 

My wife would cook them until there was enough for everybody, which meant that the last ones that were cooked were hot, but the ones on the bottom of the serving platter may have been there for 5 or 10 minutes.

 

Now I suppose if you had a big griddle so you could fry a dozen eggs at a time, or you could cook two dozen 8-inch pancakes, been serving the whole family at once makes sense. But if you're cooking in a 12-inch skillet, you can do two - maybe three - eggs and that's all there's room for.

 

I never could convince her my way was better. That was how her mama done it so that's how it was supposed to be done.

That's what I do. I make the bacon and once it's done, I make pancakes. I make them one at a time and as soon as someone's pancakes is done, they start eating. I eat last. I am the same as your mama on eggs. I serve them while their fresh. The only way I serve more than one person is when I poach them and I can do four eggs at once. But even then my wife likes her eggs done more than me so give her the eggs that went into the cups first. Like your mama, scrambled is all at once. Huevo Ranchos are done one person at a time and so far nobody complains and past guests request them again.

[Grumpy Old Man]

22 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

Yogurt=sour cream.  Okay for cooking, but I don’t like either of them or buttermilk in their plain/natural form!!  And I don’t do frozen yogurt either!

 

 

 

I agree. Hate sour cream or anything like it. My Dad used to love drinking buttermilk. Not me, okay for baking.

[Kulshan 20262]

Ok, back to the hot cakes. Try apple sauce and cream on them.

[MizPete]

On 2/4/2022 at 10:28 AM, Blackwater 53393 said:

I’m out of syrup and honey!!

Jelly/jam will do in a pinch.

And who has latkes?