Traditional French Crepes, and a not-so-traditional filling - Grace J Silla (2024)

FAQs

What are the two types of crepes in France with different names? ›

There are two main categories of crêpes: sucré (sweet) and salé (savory). The first type is traditionally made with wheat flour, the second with buckwheat (or sarrasin) flour. The latter is often referred to as a galette, instead of a crêpe.

In France, a majority of the population enjoys eating crepes with various types of fillings: sugar, jam, salted butter caramel, and Nutella, etc. We can however identify sugar and spreads (such as Nutella) as the true French favorite fillings.

Crêpes are an ultra-thin pancake common in France that can be made sweet or savory, typically rolled or folded with a variety of fillings from jam or Nutella to ham and cheese to seafood.

They both usually start as flour-based batters enriched with milk and eggs that's poured onto a skillet, griddle, or pan and cooked until firm enough to roll or flip, but American-style pancakes are thick and fluffy, while French crêpes are wafer-thin and delicate.

The simple answer is that a galette is a savoury crêpe. Galettes are made with buckwheat flour instead of usual flour varieties. This gives them a slightly stronger flavour than a normal crêpe or pancake and also means they're gluten free.

In Bavaria, crepes are called palatschinke. While similar to a French crepe, the Bavarian crepe batter doesn't need to rest before using. Both types of crepes lend themselves to delicious desserts and fresh breakfast settings.

Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: sweet crêpes (crêpes sucrées) or savoury galettes (crêpes salées).

Savoury crepes (called "galettes in French) are made solely of water, salt and buckwheat flour. This variety of batter is gluten-free. They are more savory than crepes and their color is brown. Galettes are generally filled with salty ingredients, although salted butter caramel can also be used.

Preparation: Swedish crêpes are usually cooked on a flat pan or a griddle. Unlike French crêpes, they are typically smaller in size, and the batter is poured into small rounds. They are also thicker than French crêpes, and the edges are slightly raised.

From dessert to dinner and breakfast, you can enjoy them all time of the day. Though the assumption isn't wrong, crepes are one of the foods associated with France. Today, you can find more than 4,000 creperies, crepe stands, or crepe restaurants in France.

Which city in France is famous for crêpes? ›

This emblematic food of Brittany, France's westernmost province, has some extraordinary outposts in Paris. No matter which of the above you're craving (maybe both!), we want to share our picks for the best crepes in Paris.

Crêpes originated in France around Brittany all the way back in the 13th century. Street crepe carts in France are about as popular as hot dog carts in the US, so you can find everyone eating crepes that day. Nowadays milk is the liquid we mix crêpe batter with today.

What's healthier: crêpes or pancakes? A single crêpe has less fat and calories than pancakes because they don't have the baking powder and, so, are less dense. However, they're not less calorific if you're stacking up double the amount of crêpes vs pancakes, so bear this in mind before you get carried away.

The common word is “crêpe”. But if you refer to American or English ones, people use the English one. Otherwise, if you make pancakes with buckwheat only or a mix of wheat and buckwheat, you'll say “galettes” or “ crêpes salées”.

Pancakes in the UK are generally wide, thin crepes. You add lemon juice and whipped cream and then roll them up. American pancakes are what I would call drop scones.

Crêpes et galettes (Pancakes and Buckwheat Pancakes)

Galette (from the Norman word gale, meaning "flat cake") is a term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat round or freeform crusty cakes, or, in the case of a Breton galette (French: Galette bretonne [galɛt bʁətɔn]; Breton: Krampouezhenn gwinizh du), a pancake made with buckwheat flour usually with a ...

une crêpe = (white) wheat batter = very easy French pancake to make at home: can be garnished with savory or sweet toppings – see the recipe below. une galette – buckwheat batter = usually much larger, thin and crispy kind of French pancake which is made with a special baking tool and requires a bit of training.

Central European palatschinken (palačeke) are thin pancakes similar to the French crêpe. The main difference between the French and Central European version of the dish is that the mixture for palatschinken can be used straight away unlike that of crepes which is suggested to be left at rest for several hours.