Food - Drink
Potato Pancakes Vs. Latkes: What’s The Difference?
By HEATHER LIM
Both potato pancakes and latkes are made from potatoes, are fried, and have a chewy-on-the-inside-crispy-on-the-outside texture. It might be difficult to distinguish between these two dishes because both are frequently served with sour cream or applesauce, but they are two fundamentally different dishes.
The potato pancake, or Kartofflepuffer, was popularized in the 1870s as German street food, but its origins are unclear as many European countries have their own variation. Latkes, the Hanukkah staple, were inspired by Italian ricotta cheese pancakes and were originally made from buckwheat flour until the mid-1800s when potatoes were introduced to Eastern Europe.
Even though potato pancakes use fewer ingredients—just raw grated potatoes, an egg, and all-purpose flour—they take longer to prepare since the potatoes must be finely grated. Latkes are simple to make because the potato is roughly shredded, but they do require other ingredients like baking powder, matzo meal, and a little milk.