Story and recipe of blinis, the Russian pancakes

Strongly linked to rural tradition, above all to the cultivation of cereals and vegetables that give life to typical local soups, Russian cuisine is not only the opulent one of sumptuous banquets and succulent dishes of the Tzar period. One of its simplest yet best desserts are blinis: here is the story and recipe.

Story and recipe of Russian blinis

Blinis are crepes made with flour and yeast, a preparation that has its roots in the Middle Ages that was born, as often happens, by mistake. Tradition has it that the crepes were created by a hungry Russian traveler, who accidentally left oatmeal dough on the fire, thus obtaining a sort of round and flat pancake. The recipe then became popular during the pre-Lent period, during which women prepared blinis as a sign of good omen for a generous harvest. Over time they increasingly became an integral part of Russian culture, so much so as to being eaten to celebrate newborns and at funerals, and then becoming famous even outside of national borders.

Recipe for blinis

Ingredients

150 g. flour 00
1 tbsp powdered yeast
250 g. milk, lukewarm
1 egg
1 pinch of salt

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Cover with cling film for an hour. Heat a non-stick pan; spoon in small quantities of blini dough to form roundish crepes. When surface bubbles appear, flip to cook the other side.