Do you know the fairy tale about the big, fat pancake that doesn't want to be eaten and - kantapper, kantapper - gallops away from everyone? Its adventurous story was first written down in the middle of the 19th century. Spread across national borders, the number of versions is still as varied and international as the number of pancake recipes we find delicious. This cast-iron Skeppshult pancake pan has been specially designed for the Korean market. After all, Korean cuisine also knows different pancake variations, mostly with rice flour in the batter. Pajeon means "green pancake" and is served with lots of green onions from young spring onions and light sesame seeds. Yachaejeon, on the other hand, is the Korean pancake that contains lots of finely sliced seasonal vegetables. A soy sauce-based dressing is often served for dipping.

Of course, none of this should prevent you from preparing classic German pancakes, American pancakes, Breton galettes or other delicacies in this pan. Practical: The flat edge makes it easier to use a spatula and spatula - so turning is also easy. Incidentally, cast iron's exceptional talent for retaining heat also makes this pan ideal for preparing steaks and (smashed) burgers, whereby the rectangular shape also has the advantage that you can toast burger patties and burger buns at the same time. After all, everything fits next to each other in or on the frying surface.

Using cast iron cookware is not very common in Asian cuisine, as the preparation of many dishes requires pots and pans made of a material that reacts quickly to the addition or reduction of heat. But exceptions prove the rule - even in Japan and Korea, for example, some hearty, spicy stews are prepared in cast iron cookware. So it comes as no surprise that the pans on offer here are made especially for the Korean market. And for us, because we can offer you this cookware exclusively in Europe. It comes from the Skeppshult iron foundry, a reliable regular in our kitchen range for many, many years.

Founded in 1906 in the southern Swedish town of the same name, the company is now the last of its kind in the whole of Scandinavia. Manual work and tradition are still very important in a company where the master caster personally prepares the cast iron mixture. The liquefied iron mass is poured from the bucket into sand molds in the induction furnace - which has long been operated with electricity from wind and water power. It is a good thing that the casting master has the right sense of proportion and the necessary experience.

Sand molds are used for good reason, because (almost) all other materials would fall to their knees under the 1,500 °C hot mass and would not be able to hold their shape at all. At Skeppshult, every piece is unique, as each sand mold is made separately. As soon as the contents of the mold have cooled down, it is time to unmold. In short: the molds are destroyed and the sand is prepared so that it can be reused. Finally, the cleaning, deburring and smoothing of the cast-iron objects are also part of the work steps that are still mainly carried out by hand at Skeppshult, as is the burnishing. Last but not least, the cast-iron surfaces of pans, roasters etc. are coated with a protective layer of Swedish rapeseed oil.