Faith Lutheran Church, 15425 S County Rd. K, Merrill, will host their 40th annual all-you-can-eat Pancake Dinner on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, serving from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Homemade potato pancakes and buttermilk pancakes will be served, along with breakfast sausages, locally produced maple syrup, applesauce, cheese, and several dessert options.
Tickets are available at the church in advance or at the door: $10 for adults, $4 for children ages 6-12, and children age 5 and under are free. Carryouts are also available, and all are welcome. A bake sale sponsored by the Evening Women of Faith will be held before church and during the pancake dinner, as well.
A press release from Faith Lutheran provided the following trivia about the infamous pancake: The existence of the pancake was first recorded in 600 BC in ancient Greece in poetic writings. Later, pancake day became a traditional way to use up dairy products before Lent.
In 1100 AD, the pancake breakfast was born.
In 1445, villages in the United Kingdom started a famous pancake race in Olney, Buckinghamshire.
Over the years, fresh snow had been used to seemingly make pancakes light and fluffy. These days milk and sometimes cream became the preferred liquid for pancake batter, replacing brandy and wine which were first common.
In the late 1870s, the pancake became known as a flapjack in America, with maple syrup becoming the preferred topping of choice.
In 1995, the largest pancake ever flipped was also in the United Kingdom. It measured 16.4 yards across and weighed 3 tons. Certainly more than a frying pan was needed to flip it over.
In 2009, Aldo Zilli set a world record for flipping a single pancake 117 times in 60 seconds.
Several years later, 890 people set a world record for the most people tossing pancakes – 930 people tried, but 40 flippers were disqualified for dropping their cakes.