A blintz or blin (Russian: блин, plural: blintzes, blini, bliny, блины) is a thin pancake.
The word "blintz" comes from Yiddish, borrowed from the Russian diminutive "блинчик", or "small blin".
Blins may be prepared and served in three basic ways.
- They may be eaten "as is". In this case the butter may contain various add-ons, from potato to raisins.
- They may be smeared with butter, bacon fat, smetana, jam or caviar and possibly folded or rolled into a tube. The caviar filling is popular during Russian-style cocktail parties.
- (The term "blintz" is mostly applicable to this kind) A filling may be rolled or enveloped into a blintz and lightly fryed, sautéed or baked. Possible fillings are jam, fruits, cottage cheese, ground meat or poultry.
Buckwheat bliny are of traditional Russian cuisine, almost forgotten during the times of the Soviet Union, because buckwheat requires a good deal of care to grow and process, and it became a rare commodity.