A versatile canvas for sweet or savory flavors, pancakes are beloved all over at breakfast (or anytime). Here are three versions to try on your travels.
INDONESIA
Serabi
Indonesian street vendors make these small, delicately sweet pancakes as an anytime snack. The dish is traditionally prepared with a rice-flour and coconut batter that’s fried in clay cookware over a charcoal fire. With its earthy vanilla flavor, pandan (a plant with aromatic leaves used widely in Southeast Asian cuisines) is a popular addition and lends the pancakes a bright green hue, while kinca, a syrup made from coconut milk and palm sugar, is a go-to topping. Where to try it: No-frills spot Serabi Notosuman Ny. Lidia in the city of Surakarta serves up delightful serabi with crispy edges and slightly undercooked centers.
THAILAND
Banana roti
A ubiquitous treat served from street stalls across Thailand, banana roti is reminiscent of a sweet, filled crepe. Ultra-thin batter is fried and folded over banana slices on a griddle, then the package is drizzled with condensed milk or chocolate sauce (or better yet, both) and cut into squares for on-the-go snacking. Where to try it: Nibble on roti as you stroll the Chiang Mai Sunday Night Market, one of the country’s most celebrated night bazaars.
AUSTRIA
Kaiserschmarren
This chopped pancake’s name means “Emperor’s mess,” hinting at its origins as a favorite dessert of 19th-century emperor Franz Joseph. Shredding the flapjack with a pair of forks as it fries gives Kaiserschmarren its irresistible caramelized edges, perfect for dipping into applesauce. Where to try it: Long-time Vienna restaurant Heindl’s Schmarren & Palatschinkenkuchl uses Austrian-sourced ingredients (like freerange eggs and Viennese sugar) in its traditional Kaiserschmarren.
