This recipe was recreated from Peter Kalm’s travel accounts of the year 1749. He tells us that a thick pancake “was made by taking the mashed pumpkin and mixing it with cornmeal after which it was ... fried.” He found it “pleasing to my taste.” (Kalm, p. 607.)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra sugar for topping
- ½ teaspoon dried ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup mashed pumpkin, or use canned pumpkin
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
- 2½–3 cups milk, or more for thinner pancakes
- Butter for frying
Preparation
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Combine pumpkin and eggs. Beat into dry ingredients. Add milk slowly while beating to make a smooth pancake batter. Heat some butter in a frying pan and pour some of the batter in. Swirl the batter around to make an evenly thick pancake. Cook on both sides until nicely browned. Serve hot, heavily dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
About this recipe
From The Sensible Cook: Dutch Foodways in the Old and the New World by Peter G. Rose
