People enjoyed pancakes as far back as 30,000 years ago during the Stone Age. In fact, researchers found pancakes in the stomach of Ötzi the Iceman, famous human remains that date back more than 5,000 years!
In ancient Greece and Rome, pancakes were made from wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk.
The first written records of pancakes come from the ancient Greeks and Romans. Around 500 B.C.E., Athenian poet Cratinus described “a [flat cake] hot and shedding morning dew.”
The early Greek poet Hipponax had written of pancakes 'drugged with sesame seeds'. This was likely a breakfast meal and one that was possibly sold on the streets of ancient Athens from portable braziers. These pancakes are thicker than the crêpe-style pancakes familiar to us (more like a blini, or even thicker) and they are served with honey and toasted sesame seeds.
Ancient Greek poets Cratinus and Magnes wrote about pancakes in their poetry. Shakespeare even mentions them in his famous plays.
People began using the word “pancake” during the 15th century, and the word became standard in 19th century America. Previously, people referred to them as Indian cakes, hoe cakes, johnnycakes, journey cakes, buckwheat cakes, griddle cakes, and flapjacks.
Early American pancakes were made with buckwheat or cornmeal. During the English Renaissance, people flavored their pancakes with spices, rosewater, sherry, and apples.
Shrove Tuesday (commonly referred to as Fat Tuesday) is the holiday of feasting before Lent. During Lent, people were not allowed to eat animal products like milk, butter, and eggs. To prevent them from going to waste, people cooked these ingredients into tall stacks of pancakes. They were consumed in such large amounts that this day earned the rightful name of Pancake Day.
Some examples of this transcultural food include crepes, potato latkes, Irish boxty, Russian blini, Welsh crampog, Indian poori, Hungarian palacsinta, and Dutch pannenkoeken.