The circular cakes with currants have been a tea-time favourite here in Wales since the second half of the 19th century.
Traditionally, they were usually cooked on a bakestone and the Welsh names given to these cakes were usually based on the different regional Welsh names for the bakestone.
These included pice bach, tishan lechwan or tishan ar y mân (bakestone cakes).
The closest translation to 'Cacen Gri' would be 'griddle cakes'. These were usually cooked on the griddle and made when bread was scarce. According to an old recipe book, you could split a Cacen Gri in half and put butter on both sides.
The cakes were usually called Cacen Gri in places such as Anglesey, Caernarfon and Meirionnydd in Gwynedd, and Denbighshire.
Similar names included Cacen Radell - a literal translation of 'griddle cake', and Cacen Soda - meaning 'soda cake', which was a reference to the fact that baking soda was used in the cakes.
Pica Bach or Pice Bach
[peek-ah bach] or [peek-eh bach]
These were general terms used for Welsh cakes, and refer to the food as being 'small cakes'.
They can also be called 'pican' or 'picen' and were called these in Carmarthenshire, Aberystwyth and the old West Glamorgan (Swansea and Neath Port Talbot today).
Pica ar y Maen or Pice ar y Maen
[peek-ah ar yh maen] or [peek-eh ar yh maen]
These cakes would usually contain eggs, flour, butter, baking soda, a dash of salt and currants.
You would thin out the mix and cut out small round cakes before putting them on the 'maen' or 'llechfaen', which translates to 'stone', 'bakestone' or 'slate'.
What do you call Welsh Cakes? Let us know in the comments below
They were usually called Pica ar y Maen in south Carmarthenshire, West Glamorgan and South Glamorgan. In English, they would be called 'bakestone cakes' or simply 'bakestones'.
Another name for them in Welsh included 'Pice ar y Lychwan', which also referred to the bakestone element of the cooking and was often referred by this name in Mid Glamorgan.
Pice'r Pregethwr
[peek-eh-r preg-eth-oor]
The literal translation for this is 'the preacher's cakes'. These would usually be made with four ounces of flour, three ounces of butter, two eggs and half a pint of milk.
You'd eat them hot and with butter. They were called Pice'r Pregethwr on Anglesey.
Slapan
[slap-ahn]
In Welsh, the recipe book told bakers to "mix the fairly fat mixture with currants and the usually ingredients" before pouring it on the griddle and bake "one big slapan" after another.
This term was used on Anglesey.
Teisen ar y Mân or Tishan ar y Mân
[tay-san ar y mahn] or [tee-shan ar y mahn]
Recipe books often told bakers to create a brittle crust that would be thin and the size of a plate. It would then recommend that you could put any seasonal fruit in it, may that be apple, rhubarb or blackberries.
You could bake and eat it like so, or recipe books could also suggest that you add the fruit in between two layers of the thin crust.
The Welsh cake was referred to as Teisen ar y Mân or Tishan ar y Mân in areas such as South and West Glamorgan. In English, they would be referred to as 'bakestone fruit pie' or 'turn over'.
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Welsh cakes (Welsh: picau ar y maen, pice bach, cacennau cri or teisennau gradell), also bakestones or pics, are a traditional sweet bread in Wales. They have been popular since the late 19th century with the addition of fat, sugar and dried fruit to a longer standing recipe for flat-bread baked on a griddle.
Welsh cakes (or Pice ar y maen in Welsh!) originate from Wales and are a cross between a cookie, scone and a pancake but are truly unique when it comes to their taste and texture.
These were general terms used for Welsh cakes, and refer to the food as being 'small cakes'. They can also be called 'pican' or 'picen' and were called these in Carmarthenshire, Aberystwyth and the old West Glamorgan (Swansea and Neath Port Talbot today).
'Cacen' is the Welsh word for 'cake,' and in the south Wales dialect, you can also use 'teisen. ' Additionally, 'teisen' is heard in some parts of north Wales, particularly on Ynys Môn – the Isle of Anglesey.
Welshcakes are cooked on a bakestone. This is a flat cast iron cooking plate – like a griddle only thicker. The bakestone is also called a 'planc' in certain parts of Wales and in North Wales it may be referred to as 'maen'.
Welsh Cakes originate from the country of Wales in Great Britain. The cakes are a cross between a cookie, a scone, and a pancake but they are truly unlike any of these things when it comes to taste and texture.
Picau ar y maen — also known as Welsh cakes, Welsh miner cakes, pice bach, cacennau cri, and teisennau gradell — are thick-ish, round tea cakes traditionally made on a baking stone or griddle, studded with dried fruit, possibly sprinkled in caster sugar, served warm or cold, butter and jam optional.
Welsh cakes can be eaten hot or cold, though the vast majority of Welsh people will tell you how to eat Welsh cakes is eating them while they're still warm. You can heat them up easily in a pan, toaster oven, standard oven, or even your microwave.
Cakes may be eaten straight from the package however most people prefer them warmed. Warming takes 8-10 seconds for one cake in a 1500W microwave, 10-12 seconds for a whole pack. If heating in an oven, 2-3 mins @ 275 will usually do. Some folks tell us they toast the cakes and we like that too.
How do you say cheers in Welsh? The Welsh word for cheers is 'iechyd da'. It is a common phrase used in Wales, even among those who don't speak Welsh fluently. Over the years, the saying has become anglicised among the English-speaking in Wales, and is often pronounced 'yaki dah'.
Welsh cakes (Welsh: picau ar y maen, pice bach, cacennau cri or teisennau gradell), also bakestones or pics, are a traditional sweet bread in Wales. They have been popular since the late 19th century with the addition of fat, sugar and dried fruit to a longer standing recipe for flat-bread baked on a griddle.
Take afternoon tea anywhere in Wales and the star of the show, usually to be found nestling on the highest tier, is the famous bara brith, a traditional fruit cake with a unique flavour.
Why did my Welsh cakes turn out hard, dry or crumbly? If your Welsh Cakes turned out hard, dry or crumbly, your mixture was probably not wet enough. Next time, add a little bit of milk so the mix is softer.
How do you say cheers in Welsh? The Welsh word for cheers is 'iechyd da'. It is a common phrase used in Wales, even among those who don't speak Welsh fluently. Over the years, the saying has become anglicised among the English-speaking in Wales, and is often pronounced 'yaki dah'.
a traditional (slow-cooked) Welsh soup, broth or stew, consisting of meat, usually Welsh lamb, vegetables, in particular, leeks, root vegetables, and potatoes. Additional Information. Pronounced to rhyme with cowl (/kaʊl/). From the Welsh word meaning 'soup, pottage, broth'.
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