What does blintz mean?
A blintz is a thin, crêpe-like pancake associated with Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, made from an egg-based batter and cooked until just set. The pancake is then wrapped around a filling — most classically a sweetened farmer's cheese, but also fruit preserves, potatoes, or other savory mixtures — and briefly fried or baked until golden. Blintzes are traditionally served with sour cream, fruit sauce, or powdered sugar, and they hold a special place in Jewish holiday cooking, particularly at Shavuot, when dairy dishes are customary. The word entered English through Yiddish, itself borrowed from a Slavic source related to the Russian blin, meaning pancake. In modern usage the plural form blintzes is far more common than the singular, and the dish appears widely on American diner and deli menus as well as in home kitchens. Both sweet and savory versions exist, though the cheese-filled variety remains the most iconic.
nounA thin crêpe-like pancake, traditionally filled with sweet cheese, fruit, or potato, then folded and fried or baked; a classic dish of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine.
- A thin filled pancake of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, usually made from an egg batter, wrapped around sweet cheese, fruit, or potato, and then pan-fried or baked.
"For Shavuot, my grandmother made blintzes with a sweet farmer's-cheese filling and served them with sour cream."
"The deli's cheese blintz came golden-brown from the griddle, dusted with cinnamon sugar."
"She ordered the blueberry blintzes for brunch, topping them with a dollop of sour cream."
The plural blintzes is the standard form in both American and British usage, and is more common than the singular in recipes and conversation. Some Yiddish-influenced speakers may use blintze or blintses informally.
"She stacked three warm blintzes on the plate and spooned berry compote over them."
The word 'blintz' travelled from Ukrainian through Yiddish into English kitchens — a dish that crossed borders one folded pancake at a time.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blintz
Blintz comes to English via Yiddish (בלינצע, blintse), which borrowed it from a Slavic source — ultimately related to words like Russian blin, a small pancake, whose root refers to something rolled or milled. The dish spread through Eastern European Jewish communities and was carried by immigrants to America and Britain in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, becoming a fixture of Jewish-American delicatessen cuisine. Its cognates include the Russian blin/blini and the Central European palatschinke, all members of the broader family of thin European pancakes.
Related word forms
How blintz is actually used
Blintz is a casual, food-related term used mainly in American and British culinary contexts, especially in discussions of Jewish or Eastern European cuisine. It is almost always encountered in the plural (blintzes) in everyday speech. The singular form is common on menus, while the plural dominates in conversation and recipes.
Easily confused with blintz
Blini are small Russian buckwheat pancakes typically topped rather than filled, whereas a blintz is a larger thin pancake wrapped around a filling.