Potato pancake

"Latka" redirects here. For the character from Taxi, see Latka Gravas.

Latkes frying in olive oil

Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, flour and egg, often flavored with grated onion or garlic and seasoning. Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from the savory (such as sour cream or cottage cheese) to the sweet (such as apple sauce or sugar), or they may be served ungarnished. Potato pancakes are sometimes made from mashed potatoes to produce pancake-shaped croquettes.

Background and history

Belarusian Draniki in a traditional crockery dish

Potato pancakes are commonly associated with traditional cuisines of Luxembourg (gromperekichelcher), Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Belarus (as draniki), Germany (f. ex. as Kartoffelpuffer), Poland (as placki ziemniaczane), Ukraine (as deruny), Ashkenazi Jewry (as latkes or latkas (Yiddish: לאַטקעס, Hebrew: לביבה levivah, plural לביבות levivot)), Hungary, Slovakia, Persia and the Czech Rep. (as bramborák or cmunda), although other cuisines (including those of India and Korea) have similar dishes, such as Gamjajeon. It is also the national dish of Belarus. In Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian cuisines, potato pancakes are commonly known as deruny (Ukrainian: деруни) or draniki (Russian: драники, Belarusian: дранікі). Throughout Germany, potato pancakes are also very common under the names Reibekuchen or Kartoffelpuffer, and they are eaten either salty (as a side dish) or sweet with apple sauce, sugar and cinnamon; they are a very common menu item during outdoor markets and festivals in colder seasons; a traditional favorite in southern Indiana during holiday festivities.

Potato pancakes, Austria

The Rösti from Swiss cuisine differs in so far as it never contains egg or flour.

In the North-East of England (particularly County Durham), there is a popular dish known as 'Taty Fish' - Taty being the local slang for potato, and Fish because the pancake resembles a deep fried piece of fish. The pancake consists of flour, eggs, shredded potatoes and onions. Some people add tomato and/or cheese to the mix, depending on taste.

A form of potato pancake known as 'Boxty' is a popular traditional dish in most of Ireland. It is made in a similar way but using more starch.

The Swedish version of unbound potato pancakes is called rårakor. When prepared with a batter of wheat flour, milk, egg, and shredded potatoes and fried like thin pancakes, they are called raggmunk, the word "ragg" means crispy and "munk" derives from the Swedish "munkpanna", which is literally translated as donutpan. Both kinds are enjoyed with fried pork and lingonberry jam.

Hanukkah tradition

Latkes frying. Potatoes grated into long strips, fried in oil. Hannukah

Latkes are traditionally eaten by Jews during the Hanukkah festival. The oil for cooking the latkes is symbolic of the oil from the Hanukkah story that kept the Second Temple of ancient Israel lit with a long-lasting flame that is celebrated as a miracle. Despite the popularity of latkes and tradition of eating them during Hanukkah, they are hard to come by in stores or restaurants in Israel, having been largely replaced by the Hanukkah doughnut due to local economic factors, convenience and the influence of trade unions.

The word leviva, the Hebrew name for latke, has its origins in the Book of Samuel's description of the story of Amnon and Tamar. Some interpreters have noted that the homonym levav means "heart," and the verbal form of l-v-v occurs in the Song of Songs as well.

Latkes need not necessarily be made from potatoes. Numerous modern recipes call for the addition of ingredients such as onions and carrots. Prior to the introduction of the potato to the Old World, latkes were, and in some places still are, made from a variety of other vegetables, cheeses, legumes, or starches, depending on the available local ingredients and foodways of the various places where Jews lived.^{[citation needed]}

Polish varieties

Potato pancakes, known in Polish as placki ziemniaczane, are often served in Poland topped with meat sauce, pork crisps or goulash, as well as sour cream, apple sauce, mushroom sauce, and cottage or sheep's cheese or even fruit syrup. Their popularity is closely associated with the historic presence of one of the largest Jewish communities in the world flourishing in Poland. In the 19th century, especially in times of economic difficulty during the foreign partitions, potato pancakes often replaced missing bread among the peasants. The lower quality crops given to field laborers were sometimes turned by them quickly into pancakes to improve taste and prolong freshness.

A potato pancake with spicy goulash (Placki ziemniaczane z gulaszem na ostro) served with Bundz (sheep's milk cheese) and sour cream (perhaps mixed with yogurt) in a restaurant in Zakopane, Poland.

Czech version

Czech potato pancake is made of grated potatoes with egg, breadcrumbs or flour and seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic and marjoram and/or ground caraway seeds) and is served as it is. Some regional versions blend in dough, sauerkraut, and/or sliced smoked meat. The same potato dough is used also as coating of fried pork chop called kaplický řízek.

See also

• Bindaetteok
• Boxty
• Bubble and squeak
• Fritter
• Gamjajeon
• Hash brown
• Lefse
• Papa rellena
• Potato cake
• Potato doughnut           
• Potato scone
• Potato waffle
• Reibekuchen
• Rösti
• The Great Latke-Hamantash Debate
• Tortilla de patatas

External links

Media related to Potato pancakes at Wikimedia Commons