Carrot Pancakes

Daucus carota – the carrot – was cultivated from wild carrots in the countries we now know as Afghanistan & Iran and are mentioned there in the 10th century and by the 12th century they were mentioned in Europe.

These tap roots were originally white, yellow or purple in colour.

The orange colour that we recognise today was breed by growers in Europe in the 17th century especially in the Netherlands.  It is thought that this was in honour of Prince William of Orange-Nassau (Willem van Oranje) who had an orange stripe on his flag. Nowadays orange is thought of as the national colour for the Netherlands.

These pancakes made with carrots in Polish are called racuszki z marchwi.

They are small round pancakes like American pancakes or dropped scones and are served with sugar or sweetened soured cream.

Ingredients

• 450g carrots, peeled and finely grated
• 140g twaróg/cream cheese or yoghurt cheese
• 2 eggs separated
• 3 tablespoons of plain flour
• 1/2  teaspoon of baking powder
• Sunflower oil for frying

To Serve

Caster sugar or soured cream sweetened with icing sugar.

Method

• Whisk the whites until they are stiff.
• In a small dish mix the baking powder with the flour.
• In a large bowl mix together well the finely grated carrots, the cream (or yoghurt) cheese and the egg yolks.

• Add the flour mixture.
• Fold in the stiff egg whites.

• Heat some sunflower oil in a cast iron frying pan or griddle.
• Use 2 tablespoonfuls of the mixture for each pancake, cook on one side and then turn them over and cook on the other side.

• Sprinkle with caster sugar or with a dollop of sweetened soured cream.

 

 

Served here on Wedgwood – Hathaway Rose – 1959 -1987.

Note

I have also tried them with maple syrup poured on them & these too were delicious.