Pancakes with Maple Syrup

Canada’s most famous dish is pancakes with maple syrup. It is traditionally eaten for breakfast, and can be found on the menu in practically every dinner in the country.

Pancakes are made from eggs, milk and flour, and they are cooked on a griddle. They are round and quite thick, and they are served with maple syrup poured over the top.

Maple syrup is made from the sap of the sugar maple tree. The sap is collected from the trees in early spring, then boiled until it turns into a golden syrup. The syrup is delicious when poured on ice-cream, waffles – and, of course, pancakes.

Post-reading

• Which text(s) – A, B, C or D – mention(s) a dish………

1. that may be fried in oil?

2. that includes meat?

3. traditionally eaten in the morning?

4. some of whose ingredients may vary?

5. traditionally eaten on a particular day of the week?

• Match the italicized words to their synonyms, then explain them in your own language: surely; changes; presented; tasty; simple; typical

Speaking

• What are the most popular traditional dishes in your country? What do you know about their history, how they are made, etc?

• What food would you recommend to somebody visiting your country for the first time?

• What are the pleasant and unpleasant aspects of cooking for you?

• Do you think, with the growing popularity of fast food, convenience food, junk food etc., we are losing forever the art of fine cooking and good eating?

 Writing

1. Your friend finds the University Canteen’s menus monotonous and the choice of dishes scanty. She thinks she should take up cooking as soon as possible. But the problem is that she has got neither skill nor ability to use her grants. She seeks for your help and advice. Share your cooking experience and provide your friend with a few recipes which are simple in cooking and not expensive.

2. A friend has asked you for a new idea for a meal. Think of something you can cook and write down instructions for making it and cooking it as you would write it to send to him/her by post. Use transitional words and phrases.

3. Think about your favourite holiday food. Answer the questions on a sheet of paper.

• What is its history? Where does it come from? How is it made? What is its value in your culture?

• What are its special qualities? What makes it different from other foods? Why do you like it? Why might other people not like it?

• What would you do if you moved to a place where you couldn’t get this food?

4.Use your ideas to write a paragraph about your favourite dish on a sheet of paper. Use transitional words and phrases in your paragraph to move from sentence to sentence.