Teganites
Ancient Greek pancakes fried in olive oil and served with honey and sesame seeds
City/Region: Greece
Time Period: 2nd Century
Ancient Greeks often got up before sunrise, and it’d be easier to wake up that early if you got to have these teganites for breakfast. They were simple pancakes made in a tagenon (frying pan), and instead of maple syrup, they were drizzled with honey.
This recipe comes from Galen, the 2nd century Greek physician who wrote extensively on the diet and flatulence of gladiators. He even gives a tip to keep your stomach and humors in balance when eating teganites: adding honey and salt. So that’s what we’re going to do.
The amounts of everything, especially the water and flour, can vary depending on your taste and what you want your pancake texture to be like. Use the amounts given as a rough guide, and adjust to your liking. The sesame seeds add complexity with a nice savory note, but if you want to keep the teganites strictly sweet, leave them out. They’re delicious either way.
“Now might be the time we talk of the other cakes, those made from wheat flour. What are called tagênitai by the Athenians…and are prepared with only olive oil. The oil is put in a frying pan which is put on a smokeless fire, and when it is hot the wheat flour, mixed with much water, is poured into it. As it cooks in the oil, it quickly sets and thickens to resemble fresh cheese setting in wicker baskets. Then the cook turns it over…; when the under part is cooked, they turn it again, maybe two or three times, until they think it is all cooked evenly.
It is obvious that this…restrains the stomach and gives rise to crude humors. So some mix it with honey, and others also mix in sea salt.”
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (235 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Olive oil, for frying
- Sesame seeds, optional
- Honey, for serving
Instructions:
- Whisk the salt into the water. In a large bowl, add the water and honey to the flour and mix. Cover and let it sit for 20 minutes.
- If using the sesame seeds, toast them in a dry pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes, or until they start to brown and become fragrant. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan, enough to evenly coat the bottom, but not enough to make a puddle. Pour the batter into the pan (the size of the pancake is up to you). Cook for about 1 1/2 minutes, or until the edges start to lose their sheen, then flip and cook on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more olive oil as needed.
- Serve the teganites forth hot with a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of sesame seeds.