International Haus of Pancakes: Icelandic Pancakes

I thought about opening a restaurant for a while that would serve dumplings from around the world. My pal suggested I call it The Big Dump. While that hasn’t happened, I do think it’s great how every culture I can think of has its own dumpling. The Polish have pierogi, Chinese have xiaolongbao (try Shangai Cafe in NYC), Italians have ravioli – I mean, they’re everywhere. Chef Lee Anne Wong is came out with this cookbook all about dumplings this year.
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Anyway, that’s not the point.

Seems like all/many/most cultures have a pancake, too. And I LOVE pancakes. I became re-obsessed with them on our honeymoon in Iceland a couple months ago. We stopped in a little shop, Tíu Dropar, to get out of the cold and see what we could find to sip and snack. It’s underground on the main drag, Laugavegi, and has signs about waffles and beer. THIS SPOKE TO ME. What a sweet, sweet shop. I ordered rose tea and saw a plate piled high with rolled crepe-like pancakes, covered in a plastic lid that was all fogged over. I ordered two/wanted ten.

I’d guess they were made with buckwheat, then rolled up with granulated sugar inside. They were essentially just a vessel for eating sugar. I just had to make them once I got home.

So begins my pancake adventure. Stay tuned for Polish pancakes.