When people hear "pancakes", if they don't think of a certain Thai actress who shares the name, they'll surely think of the flat treat. In this article, we look at the history of the pancake.
What Is a Pancake?
A pancake is a flat cake made from batter, a mixture of flour with milk, butter or sugar. The batter is fried in oil or butter in a pan until cooked. You can eat pancakes plain, or drizzle them with honey, cream or syrup if you have a sweet tooth. For a pretty, colourful presentation, stack the pancakes and decorate them with berries such as strawberries and raspberries.
The Origin of the Pancake
Pancakes have been around for a very long time, and their ancestors date back to the Stone Age. Scientists believe the oldest evidence of pancakes was found in the stomach of Ötzi, an Ice Age man preserved as a natural mummy in the Alps, around 5,300 years old.
The pancake's long history continued into Greek and Roman times, when pancakes were made from wheat flour, olive oil, honey and curdled milk. The ancient Greek poets Cratinus and Magnes wrote about pancakes in their poems, and Shakespeare mentioned them in his famous plays.
The name "pancake", however, only appeared in the 15th century, and from the 19th century onwards Americans used it for foods previously called Indian cakes, johnnycakes, buckwheat cakes, buckwheats, griddle cakes and flapjacks. Early American pancakes were made from cornmeal or buckwheat.
The Pancake Debate
Many people are most familiar with American pancakes, the style popular today. But a dish as old as the pancake certainly existed long before the United States was born, and Europeans were surely making pancakes before America. This has led to a debate between American and European pancakes.
To distinguish the two clearly: the pancake we know today is the American style, thicker and fluffier than the European version, because raising agents such as baking powder are added. European pancakes, which many people know as crêpes, are thinner and flatter than American pancakes, because they contain no baking powder.
Pancakes Today
Today pancakes are popular around the world because they are incredibly easy to make, need no oven and taste delicious. In the United States, pancakes are a breakfast favourite, served with syrup and butter, or with bananas, berries and other sides.
In Thailand, American-style pancakes are sold in restaurants, leading eateries and cafés. There are also market stalls where vendors draw pancakes in the shapes of animals or cartoon characters to order, which makes pancakes popular with Thai children too.
