Many countries have their own version of fried bread. In Mexico, it is the tortilla. In the United States, it is the pancake. Native Americans developed their own equivalent as well—fry bread. One of the most well known forms of fried bread—the crepe—is attributed to France.
What we now call the crepe originated in Brittany, a northwestern region in France.
Traditional buckwheat crepes in this region are also known as galettes, although this later term can also refer to larger, flat, round cakes, such as those traditionally made during Epiphany.
Buckwheat, thought to have been first domesticated in what is now Yunan province in China, was originally brought to Western Europe from Asia, and farmers found it grew well in their temperate climate. Thus it would have been a logical staple ingredient in many of the region’s grain products of the time, including crepes.
As crepes spread and more modern times have relied increasingly on wheat, both grains are now used depending on the cook and the type of crepe he wishes to serve.
Those who have tasted American crepes probably know them best in their dessert form, most often made with wheat flour and filled with sugar, jam, fruit, or chocolate.
In France, crepes are also served as main dishes. This is how modern buckwheat crepes are most commonly served, although wheat crepes can just as easily be used.
Savory fillings can include cheese, vegetables, meat, and sometimes eggs. Crepe shops both in France and the United States offer enough variety for customers to order meals—both main dish and dessert—consisting entirely of crepes.
Creative cooks have also created a number of well-known desserts using crepes. Mille Crepes is a cake made from stacked crepes with filling in between. Another, Crepes Suzette, is probably the most well known for its name.
The most well known story of the dessert’s origins tells of how fourteen-year-old Henri Charpentier created the dish by accident at the Monte Carlo’s Cafe in Paris.
The Prince of Wales, for whom the dish was made, loved it, and when Charpentier improvised the name Crepes Princesse, he requested that it be renamed Crepes Suzette in honor of his companion. The story is disputed, however, so modern crepe fans may never know for sure where the name came from.
Regardless of its forms, however, the crepe remains decisively French, and will remain in the memories of many tourists in the same way as the country’s bakeries and other specialties.
