The traditional buckwheat pancake, called ploy, originated in New Brunswick and northern Maine. It is gluten-free and made with buckwheat flour, cornmeal, baking powder, water, and salt. Traditionally eaten with every meal, it is now a popular staple in the area and celebrated at the annual Ploye Festival.
One ploy is a traditional buckwheat pancake that originated in the Madwaska region of New Brunswick, Canada, a predominantly French-speaking area, and northern Maine in the United States. It is a versatile food that is eaten as a meal or with any meal of the day as a starch or bread substitute. Traditional ploy recipes, essentially quite simple, have been passed down from generation to generation in the region, many with “secret ingredients” known only to that family.
Buckwheat is gluten-free because it’s not actually a grain. Flour is ground from buckwheat fruit, which resembles a beech nut. It has a short growing season, making it a perfect crop for farmers in the home area, due to the short summer season. Traditional ploy recipes resemble pancake mix and generally contain buckwheat flour, cornmeal, baking powder, water, and salt.
The batter for the ploy is thin, allowing it to make a crepe-like pancake when baked. The ploy is cooked on a very hot frying pan, and air holes form during the cooking process. Traditionally it is not flipped in the pan and is considered cooked when the top is dry. They generally have a distinctive yellow-green color when cooked.
Traditionally the ruse was eaten with every meal, folded or rolled up. For breakfast it was served with cretoni, a traditional spiced pork. At lunchtime it was served as a side dish with butter, instead of bread, to accompany chicken stew or the like. For dinner it was served as dessert with generous lashings of molasses or maple syrup. Nowadays, with ready access to a huge range of breads and pastries, it is no longer served with every meal, but is still a popular staple in the area for locals and tourists alike.
Every August the annual Ploye Festival takes place in Maine. It’s a weekend of family entertainment, food, and the highlight: the creation of the world’s greatest ruse. This is done in a huge pan, 3.66m in diameter, over a massive charcoal fire, and requires the help of around five people to carry the mix and four to spread it out once it’s poured onto the pan. Once cooked, it is divided into smaller pieces and eaten by the festival goers.
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