Crêpe
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- For other uses, see Crêpe (disambiguation)}}}.
A crêpe (also spelled crepe) (originally from the Latin for "to shrink") is a thin pancake, a meal made of wheat popular throughout Europe and elsewhere. The common ingredients include flour, eggs, milk, butter and a pinch of salt. Crêpes are usually of two types: sweet crêpes made with wheat flour, and savoury galettes made with buckwheat flour.
Crêpe originates from Brittany, a region in the west of France, where they are called krampouezh; their consumption is nowadays widespread in France. It is said that crêpes were born in this region because they couldn't grow enough wheat to bake bread due to the poor land.
Buckwheat came to Europe from China and also spread to Eastern Europe, where a similar meal called blintz also developed. In Brittany, crêpes are traditionally served with apple cider. In areas of Central Europe, the meal is called palačinka (Czech, Slovak, Croatian and Slovenian), Palatschinken (Austrian), palacsinta (Hungarian), all these terms being derived from Romanian plăcintă (Latin placenta meaning "cake"). In most German regions it's Pfannkuchen, in Dutch pannenkoeken, derived from the words "pan" and "cake". The Polish version are called naleśniki.
The liquid mash is poured onto a hot frying pan, often with a trace of oil spread out evenly across the pan's surface. The thin layer then thickens and needs to be flipped at least once per piece so that it is fried evenly on each side.
Serving
Crêpes may be rolled or folded, and filled with different ingredients. Crêpes can be eaten at any meal if they are salted, and filled with cheese, asparagus, ham, eggs, ratatouille, mushrooms, or various meat products.
When they are sweet, they can be a dessert. They can be filled with various other sweet items: jam, melted chocolate, dairy, ice cream, nutella, bananas, berries, nuts, poppyseeds, cinnamon etc. Popular sweet toppings include sugar (granulated or powdered), lemon juice, whipped cream, fruit spreads, sliced soft fruits, etc.
A typical French and Belgian crêpe is the Crêpe Suzette, a crêpe with lightly grated orange peel and liqueur (usually Grand Marnier) which is subsequently lit.
It is also a fairly common practice to roll or envelope them and then lightly fry, bake or sautée them, not unlike blintz, whose preparation is otherwise similar.
In France, crêpes are traditionally served on Candlemas (La Chandeleur), February 2. This day was originally Virgin Mary's Blessing Day but became known as Crêpe Day, referring to the tradition of offering crêpes. It is believed that if you could catch the crêpe with a frying pan after tossing it in the air with your left hand and holding a piece of gold on your right, you would become rich that year. Today the religious meaning has faded and it is a famous festival in France with a playful touch.
In Northern Spain, in the regions of Galicia and the Principality of Asturias crêpes are also a traditional dessert. In Galicia they are called "filloas", whereas in Asturias they ar known as frixuelos.
Mille Crêpe
Mille Crêpe is a French cake made of many crêpe layers. "Mille" ("mil") means " a thousand," implying the many layers of crêpe.
Bodybuilder's Crepe
A common recipe practiced among bodybuilders is what is called a 'Bodybuilder's Crepe', traditionally made with whey protein powder, flavoring, egg white, and other popular ingredients such as cottage cheese, oats, and peanut butter. They are prepared the same way as normal crepes are, but can sometimes cook much faster.
See also
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