Aebleskiver

The aebleskive has a long history, though not much of it is recorded. Its background is little more than speculation, with details passed down largely through an oral history rather than written documentation. These delicious pancakes hail from Scandinavia—Denmark, Norway, and Sweden—originating sometime during the age of the Vikings, around AD 800 to 1050. The Vikings, fearsome seafaring warriors, were known for their penchant for raiding and conquering land everywhere from Iceland to as far as the Americas. Their success during raids depended on being on the move. They sailed on longships, narrow and shallow boats that were lightweight, able to move through shallow waters and be carried when necessary. They brought whatever food they needed to keep their energy high enough to fight should they need to. One of the meals eaten by raiding parties were the small, delectable aebleskiver.

These little, spherical pancakes get their shape from special pans with individual wells. These pans didn’t exist during the Viking era, so how did the aebleskive come to be? One of the prevailing stories about the origins of the aebleskive is that during breaks between raids, Vikings would gather around the fire, setting down their shields, heavily dented from battle, and sit for a meal to replenish their energy. The Vikings would then place a shield over the fire and fill the dents with batter. The metal of the shield would quickly cook the batter into the perfect snack for these warriors to get back to their business of raiding and pillaging another village. Another theory is that rather than using a dent-riddled shield, someone’s helmet was used. There is no written history to back up these stories, though many fans of the aebleskive claim this to be its origin. Thankfully, as years went on, the world turned to more modern and hygienic practices for making culinary tools, and an aebleskiver pan was created.

The earliest known aebleskiver pan dates back approximately 300 years. Made from hammered copper, these pans were difficult to use, as the batter would stick to the metal, ruining the delicious aebleskiver. Eventually, cast iron was used to make the pans. This new pan served as the perfect alternative, with its even distribution of heat and well-seasoned nonstick surface. The cast-iron pan also created a crisper crust to the aebleskiver. The aebleskiver pan that you’ll most frequently find today is nonstick aluminum, such as the one we used from Nordic Ware. In fact, when Nordic Ware started in 1946, it produced just a handful of specialty Scandinavian cookware products, one of which was its Ebelskiver Pan. (Shop the pan here.)

The word “aebleskive” comes from the Danish words for apple (aeble) and slice (skive), or epli and skīfa, respectively, in Old Norse. The apple in the name refers to the tradition of filling aebleskive batter with apple slices, chopped apples, or applesauce. Some versions of the aebleskive are made with yeast as a leavening agent rather than baking powder. Naturally, these take more time and care to prepare because of the wait time for the dough to rise, thus making them more suited to special occasions. It was also tradition to use knitting needles to turn aebleskiver as they cooked. The needles have the length required to keep your fingers safe from burning while being sharp enough to gently get under the cooked side of the pancake to turn it. These days, chopsticks or long wooden skewers are most often used. Mixing apples into the batter fell out of practice as time moved on, though there is no explanation as to why. Modern aebleskiver are enjoyed without a filling and are typically served with confectioners’ sugar and syrups, jams, or preserves. We’ve chosen to serve ours with apple butter to echo its origin. In Scandinavia, aebleskiver are typically served during the colder months, closer to the holiday season, and enjoyed with a mug of glögg, a mulled wine. You’ll find street vendors selling aebleskiver and glögg during this time of year. It is also enjoyed at breakfast alongside morning coffee.

Love for the aebleskive has spread globally, partly thanks to the adventuring of the Vikings. Aebleskiver appear where there are larger populations of Scandinavian settlements. The town of Solvang, California, calls itself the Danish Capital of America and has a festival called the Danish Days. This annual festival occurs in September and includes an aebleskive-eating contest and plenty of vendors selling these delicious pancakes.

Whether you have Scandinavian heritage you wish to honor or you simply enjoy a delicious apple-filled treat, we invite you make these flavorful aebleskiver.

Pro Tip

Gently push the tip of one wooden skewer against the edge of the pan and slightly underneath the aebleskive; it will easily slide in the well when it’s ready to be turned. Use the tip of the other skewer to help turn the aebleskive. Try not to poke a hole in the cooked side when turning, and don’t pat the top of the aebleskive into the well after it’s turned; doing so will cause it to cook up disk-like rather than round.