Every culture has a pancake or crepe of some kind. It is a dish that is core to every culture. Mixing flour and water or other liquid is as essential as cooking can get.
Date syrup is one of the oldest known sugars in the world. References to date syrup go back to the Mesopotamian era when it was used as a sweetener.
This is a lovely, thin, delicate crepe with the right hint of sweetness. The date syrup balances the crepe's sweetness. Together, they are rich and delicious. I also served this with Mishmish, a lovely ice cream of dried limes and apricots. Together, it was a lovely plate,
Felicia Campbell is an award-winning writer, editor, and producer. Her cookbook is more of a historical memoir of the region, its food, culture, and deep history. It could be one of those cookbooks that you can read as a novel, but I love to rush into my kitchen and cook the dishes, knowing their deep history.
For more recipes from this fabulous cookbook, click here.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons ghee + as needed for cooking
2 cups milk. or as needed
Date syrup
Mix all the ingredients together, starting with 1 1/2 cups milk. Whisk well into a smooth batter. The batter should have a thin consistency, one of light cream. Add more milk if needed to achieve this consistency.
Set aside 30 minutes for the batter to rest.
Heat a non-stick frying pan on a medium flame. Add a ladleful of batter to the pan and twist it around with your wrist, allowing the batter to flow around the pan into a thin crêpe. Cook for 1 minute until yu see the edges turn golden. The centre of the pancake should also be dry and cooked through. Fold in half and remove from the pan. Repeat for as many pancakes as needed.
Pour the pancakes right before you serve them so that they are still warm.