Crêpes in the Manner of Tournai

Pancakes (pannekoeken in Dutch and crêpes in French) first appear with a Belgian connection in the 14th century in Le Ménagier de Paris (The Parisian Household Book), which was written as a treatise on morality and domestic economy by a wealthy man for his young bride.

A recipe entitled ‘Crêpes à la guise de Tournay’ (crêpes in the manner of Tournai) is not the only recipe connected to the town of Tournai or Doornik included in this book. The town was at that time in possession of the Dukes of Burgundy. The city was thrown around like a ball throughout history; in 862 CE Charles the Bald made Tournai the capital city of the County of Flanders. After the partition of the Frankish empire it became part of France. In 1513 it was captured by Henry VIII of England, which made it part of England. In 1668, the city returned to France for a short while and in the 18th century it formed part of the Austrian Netherlands. Following the Napoleonic Wars, Tournai, then part of France, became part of the United Netherlands and, after 1830, of the newly independent country, Belgium.