An unusual cookbook recipe from decades ago is making waves online because it calls for pancakes fried in bacon fat to be dunked into a savory broth.
The recipe, found in a community cookbook from 1975, according to a photo shared on Reddit, calls for a batter seasoned with nutmeg to be fried on a griddle greased with bacon fat. The thin pancakes are then cooled and cut into strips about a quarter-inch wide before they’re added to a broth made with bouillon cubes.
The recipe — apparently created by a woman named Johanna Rhodes and titled “pancake soup” — claims to feed eight people.
A photo of the recipe was shared on the subreddit r/Old_Recipes by a woman with the username “_Alpha_Mail_.”
“I will say the title of this recipe grabbed me,” the woman wrote. “At first I thought this was going to be pancake noodles and the ‘broth’ [would] be like milk, sugar and fruit. But then I realized… this is an actual broth with pancake noodles.”
The poster, who has shared other unique older recipes, said she had never heard of this one before and found it “super intriguing.”
But some users were quick to dismiss the idea.
“I would rather just eat pancakes and have my broth on the side,” one commenter wrote.
“I was totally on board with the pancake making and frying in bacon grease, but the bouillon soup brought that to a grinding halt,” another said.
Others were more open to the unconventional dish.
“That’s different and creative,” one person commented.
“Beef stock with pancake pieces floating in it doesn’t sound particularly joyous,” another wrote, adding, “I suppose sugarless pancakes aren’t much different than drop dumplings.”
Many Reddit users recognized the dish as flädlesuppe or aritatten, a traditional German and Austrian comfort food that translates to crêpe or pancake soup. The dish is particularly popular in the southwestern region of Swabia.
“It is a way to use up leftover pancakes and resembles a noodle soup,” one Redditor wrote.
“I could eat this every day,” another added. “True comfort food.”
While some people thought the pancakes would turn to “mush,” one person advised that the soup should be enjoyed right away.
Others praised its budget-friendly appeal.
“Great way to feed a family on next to nothing,” one person commented.
Several people offered tips for trying the recipe with store-bought crêpes or pancakes, different broths or a handful of fresh herbs.
“And tomato soup with pancake noodles, too,” another added. “It’s pretty great! The pancakes make for very fluffy noodles that soak up the soup deliciously.”
Jessica Randhawa, a California chef and owner of the food blog “The Forked Spoon,” told Fox News Digital the recipe appears to be a “quick and easy shortcut” for flädlesuppe, which she and her family discovered on a 2023 trip to Europe.
Her then-9-year-old son – a pancake and soup lover – ordered it several more times in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, she added.
Randhawa suggested the recipe may have been brought to the U.S. by German or Austrian immigrants in the 20th century or recreated after someone tried it abroad or at a community gathering.
“Traditional flädlesuppe is generally made with leftover crêpes, but you would want to add them to the hot broth at the time of eating,” she said. “[Yet] as with most multipart recipes, if you have a goal of making it like Johanna Rhodes did… you would make all the parts of the recipe at once.”
If Randhawa were to recreate the recipe for her website, which already includes German classics like potato pancakes and potato salad, she said she would make it with her homemade bone broth.
“Just by looking at the recipe, I am sure it tastes delicious with its non-traditional bouillon cubes and bacon grease,” she added. “And knowing my son, he would probably agree.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the original poster for comment.
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