A frying pan, which can be used to make palatschinke.
Palatschinke is a type of pancake originating from Austria, popularly served for lunch or dinner in Central and Eastern Europe. The pancake is made with wheat flour, milk and eggs, as well as salt and sugar, until a liquid dough is obtained. The mixture is then baked in oil or butter, forming a crepe-like pancake, similar to a French crepe. Fruit jellies in different flavors are rolled into the palatschinke and then topped with a variety of sauces. Popular variations of the recipe include Gundel palacsinta, rakott palacsinta, and flädle.
Palatschinken are sometimes rolled in poppy seeds instead of traditional sugar.
Making palatschinke is not a difficult task and requires only a few simple steps. To begin, the wheat flour, salt, and sugar are mixed together, and the milk and eggs are combined into the dry mix. When combined, all ingredients are mixed well until lump free and a thin, runny batter is produced. Ready to bake, the batter should be placed sparingly in a skillet over medium heat to produce a thin crepe-like texture, and this cooks until both sides of the pancake are golden brown. Once cooked, the palatschinke is rolled up with different fillings, especially those with a sweet taste.
Different flavors of jam are rolled into palatschinke.
Traditionally, palatschinken were coated in powdered sugar or with jams of different flavors such as strawberry, apricot and plum, as well as cherry or raspberry. These fillings are still popularly used today, along with other fillings such as cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, and chocolate hazelnut spread. It is also common for palatschinken to be wrapped with fresh and dried fruit as well as poppy seeds. While pancakes are usually served with sweet fillings, variations on the recipes now incorporate savory fillings such as cheese, vegetables, and meat.
The Hungarian version of palatschinke has a cottage cheese filling.
Many variations of palatschinke have become popular since its original creation. Gundel palacsinta is a variation originating from Hungary, which has become a famous dessert in Hungarian cuisine. The pancake has raisins and lemon peel, walnut and rum filling and is served with hot chocolate syrup. Another popular Hungarian variation of palatschinke is rakott palacsinta, which is made from layers of pancakes and has walnuts and cottage cheese, as well as a jam and raisin filling. Palatschinke can also be made into a dish called a flädle, which involves cutting the pancake into thin strips and adding the strips to different types of broths and soups.