Learn English – What was so “hot” about hot cakes

etymologysimile

The phrase "sell like hot cakes" is a simile for how quick something is selling. That said, the meaning of "hot cake" is apparently a synonym of pancakes, or before pancakes, corn griddle cake and other varieties. Dictionary.com lists the date of origin dating back to 1839, where it first appeared.

That said, I'm wonder what's so "hot" about hot cakes? Was the time period in 1839 a period in which "hot cakes" were all the rage? Is there something about hot cakes that made them so popular that the phrase was coined?

I'm looking for the etymology of such a phrase.

Best Answer

According to the following sources the idea of "hot" is that the cakes were (and probably somewhere still are) sold quickly as they were cooked, that is while they were hot (hot and tasty). That kind of cakes would probably remain unsold once they became cold.

Hot cake:

  • a pancake or griddlecake.

(An Americanism dating back to 1675-85)

Sell like hot cakes:

Be a great commercial success, as in I'm sure this new line of coats will go like hot cakes, or She was thrilled that her new book was selling like hot cakes.

  • This term alludes to hot cakes, another name for griddle cakes or pancakes, which are so popular at church sales, food fairs, and similar events that they tend to sell as quickly as they are cooked. [Mid-1800s ]

(The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary)

The following source offers two alternative explanations is to the origin of sell like hot cakes:

  • While the word “hotcake” dates back to the late 17th century and ”pancake” first appears in England around 1400, this phrase, with the figurative meaning “to be in great demand,” didn’t appear until around 1840 and there’s no evidence of a great hotcake demand that might have led to its creation. Instead, etymologists are left to assume that since hotcakes have always been popular at events like county fairs and church socials, where the crowd greatly outnumbers the culinary staff and the cakes often sell as fast as they can be made, the term was coined and spread through popular usage.

  • An alternate explanation is that in Britain, Canada and Australia, pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent in the Christian calendar (Americans know it as Fat Tuesday) because it is an occasion for using up all the fat, butter, and other ingredients that people plan to deny themselves during Lent. In anticipation of 40 days of ritual fasting, the pancakes are gobbled down quickly and effortlessly, even if they’re not literally being sold.

(mentalfloss.com)

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