Wikipedia's first sentence called it “dish consisting of a pancake-esque clump of grated potatoes fried in oil”. Today it says “shallow-fried pancakes consisting of grated or ground potato”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
They are called "latkes" in Jewish tradition. Potato pancakes are a European food and not specifically a Jewish one. Potato pancakes very likely originate in Eastern Europe where they are still eaten in large amounts, in areas like northeast Poland , for instance, which knows many varieties. One of favorite Polish foods are "Placki Wegierskie" which are basically Potato pancakes with a thick spicy Hungarian goulash inside. "German potato pancakes" are the same as latkes. Potato pancakes are also associated with the Jewish cultural tradition in the United States and Europe. They can be and are served any time, but traditionally form part of the menu during the celebration of Hanukkah . Eating potato pancakes is not one of the mitzvot of Hanukkah; that is, it is not a fundamental part of the Hanukkah rituals , and has no religious significance. However, it is seen as appropriate to eat foods cooked in oil during a festival that celebrates the miracle of the Hanukkah oil. In Israel , potato pancakes—where they are known as 'levivot' ('levivah' singular)—are familiar and well-liked, but sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts, singular sufganiyah ) are considered to be more Israeli. Latkes are often eaten with sour cream or applesauce . Various recipes for potato pancakes vary in the degree of fineness to which the potatoes are grated. Some are grated to long strips, others to a fine powder. Both latkes and potato pancakes bear a distant resemblance to the American dish called hash browns ; however, hash browns are merely coarsely grated potatoes with no binding ingredients or flour. The French dish commonly known as "potato gallette", is also similar but the sour cream is an internal ingredient rather than a topping. One recipe for potato pancakes is given below. Variants include cheese latkes, zucchini latkes, and apple latkes.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16156892.
The opening as it stood in 2010 17 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Latke in hot olive oil.Potato pancakes Deruny or draniki in a traditional crockery dish.These latkes were made with potatoes grated into long strips and fried in oil.Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated potato , flour and egg , often flavored with grated onion or garlic and seasoning.Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments , ranging from the savory (such as sour cream ) to the sweet (such as applesauce or sugar ), or they may be served ungarnished.Potato pancakes are sometimes made from mashed potatoes to produce pancake-shaped croquettes .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 367122506.
The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato , flour and egg , often flavored with grated onion or garlic and seasoning.Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments , ranging from the savory (such as sour cream or cottage cheese ) to the sweet (such as apple sauce or sugar ), or they may be served ungarnished. Potato pancakes are sometimes made from mashed potatoes to produce pancake-shaped croquettes .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 668496484.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato For the traditional Jewish potato pancake, see Latke .Potato pancakes , draniki , deruny , latkes , raggmunk or boxties are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato , matzo meal or flour and a binding ingredient such as egg or applesauce , often flavored with grated garlic or onion and seasoning . They may be topped with a variety of condiments , ranging from the savory (such as sour cream or cottage cheese ), to the sweet (such as apple sauce or sugar ), or they may be served plain. The dish is sometimes made from mashed potatoes to make pancake-shaped croquettes .Some variations may be made with sweet potatoes .Southern Holidays: a Savor the South® cookbook .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 955832968.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato For the traditional Jewish potato pancake, see Latke . Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato , matzo meal or flour and a binding ingredient such as egg or applesauce , often flavored with grated garlic or onion and seasonings . They may be topped with a variety of condiments , ranging from the savory (such as sour cream or cottage cheese ), to the sweet (such as apple sauce or sugar ), or they may be served plain. The dish is sometimes made from mashed potatoes to make pancake-shaped croquettes . Some variations are made with sweet potatoes . Southern Holidays: a Savor the South® cookbook .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1175049429.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes consisting of grated or ground potato , matzo meal or flour and a binding ingredient such as egg or apple sauce , often flavored with grated garlic or onion and seasonings . They may be topped with a variety of condiments , ranging from the savory (such as sour cream or cottage cheese ), to the sweet (such as apple sauce or sugar ), or they may be served plain. The dish is sometimes made from mashed potatoes to make pancake-shaped croquettes . Some variations are made with sweet potatoes . Southern Holidays: a Savor the South® cookbook .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1294850818. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “dish consisting of a pancake-esque clump of grated potatoes fried in oil”. Today it says “shallow-fried pancakes consisting of grated or ground potato”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
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2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
dish consisting of a pancake-esque clump of grated potatoes fried in oil
Now
shallow-fried pancakes consisting of grated or ground potato
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
