Blini

blini in Russian, is the plural of the word blin, which denotes a small pancake. The same is correct in English, but in colloquial English, as in this entry, blini can serve as both singular and plural.

A blini is about 10 cm (4") in diameter, and only a few millimetres thick. Blini, to be authentic, should be made from a batter of buckwheat flour leavened with yeast, and further lightened with beaten egg white and whipped cream. Special little cast-iron pans, each one the right size and shape to cook a single blini, are made in sets of six. These fit into a holder and can be used in the oven or on top of the stove. The finished pancakes are eaten hot with butter, herring, smoked fish, chopped egg, or—best known in the West—caviar and sour cream.