Pancake Day is one of the best days of the year. Fact. It’s up there with Christmas and Halloween, and frankly, if you asked any singleton, they’d without a shred of doubt agree to the removal of Valentine’s Day for a secondary Pancake Day.
Everyone has their own signature toppings, from the mildly boring to the eccentrically weird – but what do our subconscious amalgamations of pancake toppings really say about ourselves? Disclaimer – bias and stereotyping most likely present.
Sugar and Lemon
The ‘Margherita Pizza’ of all toppings, sugar and lemon reflects the ‘happy being boring’ amongst us. The “jeans and a nice top” of the pancake world; those that plump for this combination know they will never be let down by a quick sprinkle of sugar and a dab of lemon juice.
Yes, it might be said that you have trust issues, but at the end of the day you know you can’t afford to waste a pancake on toppings that won’t necessarily give you the full satisfaction that the standard sugar and lemon combo can deliver.
Fruit
These are the nutri-bulleting, health-conscious, gym-enthusiastic, will-probably-outlive-everyone that walks (or more likely jogs) among us. ‘5 A Day’ is nothing to them when they know they can fit at least 10 variations of fruit onto their ‘under 200 calorie’ protein pancakes.
As the majority of us sit there wondering how much more Nutella we can possibly fit onto a pancake, the fruit pancake toppers will already be 2kms into their 5km burning-off-that-pancake-run. They have energy, strength, inspiration, and the picture of their pancake probably just got 100 likes on Instagram – we all strive to be them, but maybe after one more pancake…and perhaps a nap.
Savoury
There’s always one, in every household, every year: they try the savoury pancake. If you’re not rolling your eyes because you know how this will end, this is probably you. For some reason you’re not feeling the array of sweet toppings in front of you and you opt for some cheese, perhaps even ham. Maybe you saw Jamie Oliver deliver a savoury pancake that looked marginally tasty, maybe you’re just deranged.
Onlookers watch on in horror as you plaster your pancake with sandwich-style fillings. Still you carry on, in blissful ignorance of the awaiting disappointment that comes with a pancake that does not involve a sugar filled topping. You take a bite and with seconds realise your mistake, slowly coming to terms with the wave of “I told you so’s” to follow.
Nutella
You had it for breakfast, you had it in your sandwiches for lunch, Pancake Day arrives and suddenly you’ve hit the Nutella bingo as you spread out the beautiful matter onto your 3rd meal of the day. Nutella haters aside (you can’t complain that Nutella is “too nutty” when it has ‘nut’ in the title!), you know you’re in for bliss when the Nutella starts oozing out of the most perfect pancake you’ve ever seen.
People may say you’re unadventurous but you shrug them off; you know your love for Nutella is infinite. It’s only a matter of time before you just ditch the pancakes for a spoon and start eating the gorgeous, chocolatey phaenomenon straight from the jar.
Bacon and Maple Syrup
An intriguing combination of savoury and sweet; before the trend truly made it over from America you were a pioneer in the pancake world. However, just like the self-proclaimed hipster, you quickly ended up in the mainstream pile as the topping combo became increasingly popular and loved by all.
You enjoy the best of both worlds, or are just plain indecisive, but regardless you manage to merge two culinary poles and produce a delicious outcome. For that you should be proud.
Plain
It’s said “you are what you eat”, and bluntly, if you’re going plain then your pancake toppings are as non-existent as your personality (sorry not sorry). With all the topping options in the world you decided to ditch them and go it alone and for that your culinary choices are questionable. No doubt you don’t season your chicken and cook pasta without salt. To be perfectly honest, you need to sort your life out.
Jennifer Pluck
