PANCAKE

The pancake is probably the oldest form of bread. Ancient ceremonies connected with it are still practised in some places, although (generally speaking) their first significance long ago pa ed into oblivion. The most widely observed is the custom of eating them on Shrove Tuesday. In France, its observance often develops into a veritable pancake feast. English, American, and French pancakes all have distinctive characteristics. The old-fashioned English type is the lightest of all, the batter being mixed with ale and allowed to rise. This method also makes it thicker than the American. It is properly served flat (as also is the American), piping hot, dusted with pulverized sugar, and sprinkled with lemon juice. The American pancake, or ‘‘batter-cake,’’ is also usually raised but not to the same extent as the English. Baking powder or veast takes the place of the ale. French pancakes contain no Jeavening material other than the eggs which are in eluded in the best receipts—it is only their thinne that prevents them from being tongh. They are spread with jam or jelly, rolled up omelet fashion, covered with sugar, and glazed by melting the sugar in an oven or branding with a red-hot iron.