Pancakes, Dessert for All Occasions

Pancakes are probably the earliest dessert most of us remember from childhood. It was also the first thing I tried to recreate in our kitchen, imitating my mum, but the result was far from edible. I even dare say that pancakes are number one dessert in Croatian restaurants, generally speaking. They save the day for all the simple eateries out there that don’t care much for an elaborate dessert list. If there’s nothing else, you can bet there will always be pancakes.

“Pancakes, perfect in their simplicity.” Image credit: Da mi je nešto slatko

Typically, Croatian pancakes, or palačinke as we call them, are similar to French crepes, maybe just a tiny bit thicker. The dough is traditionally made with whole eggs, we don’t separate yolks and whites, and mineral water is the secret ingredient to make them soft and light. Another trick is to add a bit of a strong alcoholic drink into the mixture, so the pancakes don’t soak up too much oil. Rum is the most common choice, but aromatic local brandies work wonders, too. When they are ready, you fill the pancakes and roll them, or fold them into a triangle. In the old days, when there was no Nutella to be found, it was not unusual for mums to fill the pancakes with only a spoonfull of granulated white sugar or cocoa powder. However, homemade jams were the standard, especially plum and apricot. For special occasions, pancakes in wine chateau sauce were the ultimate luxury. For family gatherings, pancakes filled with cottage cheese and raisins, then baked in oven with extra cream, made everyone’s mouth water.

“Pancakes can also be a very fancy dish.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Even though pancakes are omnipresent, from our homes to street vendors and fine restaurants, there are specialized places dedicated only to them, sort of “pancake parlours”. Palačinkarnica is the word. It’s not a novelty, pancake places have been around for twenty years or so, but at the moment they are at their peak. If you’re a pancake lover, it’s like a dream come true. From those poor sugar-filled homemade pancakes we’ve evolved to thick, fat fluffy monsters filled with all kinds of sweet condiments imaginable, topped with ice cream, cream, syrup, whatever satisfies your sweet tooth and imagination. You’re the designer of your pancake. And in the end, you get an extravagant calorie bomb you often can’t even finish by yourself.

“Pancake from your wildest dreams.” Image credit: Milky FB page

The forerunner of pancake extravaganza was Gabreku 1929 restaurant in Samobor, famous for dozens of different kinds of pancakes, impressive in size, and prepared in an old-school iron frying pan. Judging by today’s standards, those pancakes were quite modest, with simple fillings like jams and nuts. They are still there, and still make people happy. Bonita fast food stand on Cvjetni trg is another place with a long tradition of preparing pancakes to go. They owe their popularity to excellent central location and the fact they work late in the night. And speaking of specialized pancake shops, at the moment they are springing up like mushrooms after the rain, so let’s name just a few. Two branches of Choco Cafe have much more on their menu, but they take pride in the huge selection of pancakes. Galapagos in Horvaćanska is a legendary pancake shop, dear to generation of students from the nearby Sava dorm. Činkica in Špansko and Dubrava, Milky in Dubrava, and Holy Crêpe and Retro in Maksimir are all quite freshly opened, but fit perfectly in this new trend of going out for pancakes.

“Going out for pancakes, very trendy in Zagreb right now.” Image credit: Činkica FB page

The variety and selection of pancakes in Zagreb is such that you could eat a different kind every day, and still not try them all in a whole year. And that’s what’s wonderful about this simple dessert. You can easily whip them up at home and fill them with nothing but grandma’s homemade jam, or you can go out and have the most lavish pancake from your wildest dreams. Universal and versatile as they are, you can’t not love them.

“You can add almost anything to pancakes.” Image credit: Gabreku 1929. FB page

Header image credit: Taste of Croatia

Author: Taste of Croatia