Honoring the flapjack on national pancake day

With national pancake day landing on Sept. 26, students share their favorite pancake memories and the best spots to grab a stack. Unsplash

Before every high school basketball tournament, senior business administration major Daniella Benabou and her teammates had a specific tradition to prepare for the game. It wasn’t 15 minutes of stretching or belting a verse of "High School Musical's" "Get'cha Head in the Game" — it was sharing a short stack of pancakes.

"We'd have one day (before the tournament), specifically where we'd go to IHOP," Benabou said. "(We would) all get pancakes for some reason, and that was something that always stuck out to me. Whenever I eat (pancakes), I'm like, 'Oh, yeah, this reminds me of when my team and I went to go get pancakes.’"

Whether under the name of flapjack, griddle cake or crepes, the notion of pancakes being an admirable breakfast is a long established idea. With national pancake day on Sept. 26, The Panther sought to find out what makes pancakes so special to students and recall the history of this legendary breakfast dish.

Even though there are two dates to celebrate the holiday in the calendar year, one in February and one in September, the pancake overall has been around for over 30,000 years. In fact, the first recorded mention of a pancake dates back to Ancient Greece around 600 B.C. with the meal described as "Tangenias" — meaning frying pan. 

The idea that people like Plato and Aristotle adored pancakes just as much as Generation Z does not surprise senior communication studies major Isabella Capri. 

"Obviously, I am not the only one that has this strong of an opinion of why pancakes are superior," Capri said. "Pancakes are amazing and they have been around for so long because they are so great and enjoyable for any age group and they will be around for many more years."

With the Middle English word "pancake" appearing in English in the 15th century, the popularity of this dish increased immensely during Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day), where Elizabethans would spend a day of feasting and partying before the beginning of Lent. With Shakespeare even mentioning pancakes in several of his plays and the recently passed Queen Elizabeth II holding a famous recipe for "drop scone" pancakes, they have become an integral part of English cuisine. 

No matter the culture, there have been many different interpretations of pancakes over the years. Typically in the United Kingdom, they are unleavened (meaning without yeast) and resemble a crepe, in Uganda they add bananas and in the U.S., a leavening agent like baking powder is used to create a thick and fluffy pancake. Benabou said that even though she cannot fathom those who drown their pancakes in syrup, she told The Panther that customizing this dish can lead to new creations and new memories. 

"I've never heard of someone being like, 'Pancakes treated me terribly' or has a bad memory from eating a pancake," Benabou said. "The adaptations of (pancakes) that have been created now are even more special towards everyone's cultures. So I feel like any culture can have a pancake."

A debate as old as time is whether someone prefers pancakes over waffles. Senior dance major Lindsay Light said even though she holds a soft spot for pancakes, with her dad frequently making them during her childhood in Colorado, the versatility and shape of the pancake should influence members of team waffle to switch sides.  

"I think the best part about pancakes is the stackability," Light said. "It's harder to stack waffles than it is pancakes. And you can get so much more in one plate of pancakes."

Instead of eating burnt pancakes from your first attempt at making them at home, there are countless places nearby to celebrate national pancake day and join in on the 700,000 other pancakes consumed every year. 

Light suggested the Danish blueberry pancakes from Snooze that are filled with lemon curd in the center and blueberry cream cheese on top, Benabou praised the blueberry pancakes from the Original Pancake House in Huntington Beach and Capri reminisces the banana flavored pancakes at Bill's Cafe in Northern California. 

Despite there only being two official occasions to celebrate pancakes throughout the year, Capri said she will "100%" honor the delectable buttermilk perfection of the pancake any time whatsoever. 

"I think we should always celebrate pancakes in general, but having a national pancake day makes it that much more special," Capri said.