British Flapjacks (2024)

FAQs

What is a flapjack in British slang? ›

While flapjacks is an informal nickname for pancakes, some people may use the terms hotcakes and griddlecakes to refer to specific types of pancakes. In the UK, the word flapjack refers to something entirely different—a baked good made from oats that resembles a granola bar.

In other English-speaking countries, the same item is called by different names, such as cereal bar, oat bar or (in Australia and New Zealand) oat slice. In the United States and Canada, "flapjack" is a widely-known but lesser-used term for pancake.

In the US, a flapjack is a less common way of saying "pancake"; in the UK, it's a chewy, sweet granola bar.

Originating from the United Kingdom, Flapjacks are well known as a delicious baked bar prepared with oats, butter and sugar or syrup. The term 'flapjack' was first used in the early 1600's in England.

If you refer to a group of people as the nobs, you mean they are rich or come from a much higher social class than you do. [British, informal, old-fashioned]

The nuance in naming exists depending on where you live and the method in which you prepare it. For instance, folks from the South and Southeast call them flapjacks, while people from the West, North, and even the East tend to call them pancakes. Some states have entirely different names for pancakes altogether.

The last piece of the puzzle, an American biscuit is a crumbly leavened quick bread similar to what we call a scone in the UK.

If you ask for a bag of chips in the US, you will be given crispy deep-fried thin sliced potato. In the UK, 'chips' are a thicker version of what people in the US call 'fries'.

Unlike pancakes or our SA flapjacks that are cooked on both sides, when crumpets are made, they are traditionally only cooked on one side. But today more often than not, they get turned and cooked for a short time to give the other side a gentle golden colour.

In the South, pancakes are interchangeably called hotcakes, griddlecakes, and flapjacks, though British flapjacks are made with rolled oats cooked in the oven. In the U.S., pancakes are made with flour, eggs, butter, and milk, and cooked on a griddle or frying pan to form leavened flat cakes.

What are American pancakes called in England? ›

Brits take a different approach to pancakes, too

Though they'll call it a "pancake," the British version is unleavened and closer to what we Yanks might call a crepe than the fluffy, pillowy food we tend to think of. In fact, what we call pancakes here in North America, Brits refer to as "American pancakes."

noun. a pancake or griddlecake. British.

But in the UK, “flapjacks” mean something entirely different. British flapjacks (also called cereal bars, oat bars, or oat slices) are golden oat-packed, hand-held triangles, often enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. They're commonly regarded as the chewy-crunchy ancestor of granola bars.

Dating back to at least the early 1600's in England, the term “flap” refers to a flat cake while “Jack” refers to an ordinary, or common, man (like “Joe” today in the U.S.). In other words, this centuries-old pastry was of the common folk; unadorned with simple, accessible ingredients.

The Flapjack Mocha gives all the “brekkie vibes” with a mix of salted caramel, white chocolate and vanilla. Also tastes delicious when made with white coffee!

In the UK a 'flapjack' is now an oat-cake. So, from its initial usage as a pancake, 'flap' comes from the idea of flipping it. The 'jack' bit is a bit less clear, but possibly just as a generic term for 'small thing' (jackstones, jack (in bowls), small flag, etc) 2.

The word flapjack is believed to come from flipping, or "flapping," the cake on a griddle. Definitions of flapjack.

Etymology. From flap (“to toss sharply”) +‎ jack (“generic object”). So called from the process of baking it by flipping and catching it in the griddle when done on one side.