Blini

Blini

Thin Lithuanian blynai
Origin
Alternative name(s)	Blin, blini, blintchik
Details
Type	Pancake
Main ingredient(s)	Batter

A blin (pl. blini) or blintchik (pl. blintchiki) is a type of thin pancakes which typically lacks a leavening agent; blin and blintchick are Russian names for crêpes.

Blintzes are one of the types of blini. Blintze is a thin usually wheat-flour pancake folded to form a casing (as for cheese or fruit) and then sautéed or baked.

Etymology

The preparation of blin

Blintzes

"Blin" comes from mlim Old Slavic mlinъ, (cf. блин, Russian for blin).

Overview

Blins or blini were symbolically considered by early Slavic people in pre-Christian times as a symbol of the sun, due to their round form. They were traditionally prepared at the end of winter to honor the rebirth of the new sun (Butter Week, or Maslenitsa, also called "pancake week"). This tradition was adopted by the Orthodox church and is carried on to the present day. Blini were also served at wakes to commemorate the recently deceased.

Traditional Russian blini are made with yeasted batter, which is left to rise and then diluted with cold or boiling water or milk. When diluted with boiling water, they are referred to as zavarniye blini. Traditionally, blini are baked in a Russian oven. The process of cooking blini is still referred to as baking in Russian, even though these days they are universally pan-fried, like pancakes. French crêpes made from unyeasted batter (usually made of flour, milk, and eggs) are also common in Russia. All kinds of flour may be used for making blini: from wheat and buckwheat to oatmeal and millet, although wheat is currently the most popular.

Blini were popularized in the United States by Eastern European Jewish immigrants who used them in Jewish cuisine. While not part of any specific religious rite in Judaism, blini that are stuffed with a cheese filling and then fried in oil are served on holidays such as Chanukah (as oil played a pivotal role in the miracle of the Chanukah story) and Shavuot (when dairy dishes are traditionally served within the Ashkenazi minhag). Blini, also called "blinchiki" in Russian, and are ordinarily stuffed before frying a second time. Fillings include chocolate, mushrooms, meat, rice, mashed potatoes, and cheese.

Varieties

Frozen blintzes being fried in a pan

Some ways blini are prepared and served include:

• Blini made from the batter which contain various additions, such as grated potato or apple and raisins. These blini are quite common in Eastern Europe and Central Europe, and are more solidly filled than the spongy pancakes usually eaten in North America.
• Blini covered with butter, sour cream, jam, honey, or caviar (whitefish, salmon, or traditional sturgeon caviar). They might be folded or rolled into a tube.
• Blintzes. A filling such as jam, fruit, potato, quark, cottage cheese or farmer cheese, cooked ground meat, cooked chicken, and even chopped mushrooms, bean sprouts, cabbage, and onions (for a Chinese eggroll-type blintz) is rolled or enveloped into a pre-fried blintz and then the blintz is lightly re-fried, sautéed, or baked. Such blintzes are also called nalysnyky (Ukrainian: налисники) or blinchiki (Russian: блинчики). The caviar filling is popular during Russian-style cocktail parties.
• Buckwheat blini are part of traditional Russian cuisine. They are also widespread in Ukraine, where they are sometimes known as hrechanyky (Ukrainian: гречаники), and Lithuania's Dzūkija region, the only region in the country where buckwheat is grown, where they are called Grikių blynai.

Blini are the traditional meal in Lithuania during Fat Tuesday.

See also

2

External links

• Blintz recipe (with detailed photos) (Russian)