The delicious journey of pancakes through history

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It's a Sunday morning, and you wake up to the smell of maple syrup, butter and the scent of batter cooking to a golden brown on a griddle.

Pancakes have become a popular breakfast staple, with countless iterations and forms around the globe. However, the base ingredients - flour, milk, eggs and a leavening agent - remain consistent. As a result, the exact origin of pancakes is difficult to pinpoint as many countries have developed their own versions, making it a global phenomenon.

According to Merriam-Webster, a pancake is "a flat cake made of thin batter and cooked (as on a griddle) on both sides." Its first use of the world was in the 14th century.

The first recorded mention of pancakes dates back to ancient Greece around 500 B.C.E. Ancient Greeks made an earlier pancake-like version called "tagenites," which used honey, olive oil, white wine, curdled milk and wheat flour.

According to a report from National Geographic, analyses of Stone Age tools suggest that cooks made flour out of ferns, mixing it with water and baking on a hot rock. While the idea was the same as a pancake (flat cake, made from batter and fried), the result was more akin to a hardtack, which is a cracker known for its long shelf life.

Around 1100 A.D., Shrove Tuesday (known in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and Australia as Pancake Day) is a traditional holiday that falls on the Tuesday before the beginning of Lent. It provides an opportunity to use any available dairy products, eggs, sugar, fat and eggs before Lent. Normally, people would forgo rich and tasty foods during Lent, such as ones mentioned previously. What better way to use these ingredients than with delicious pancakes.

Pancake races are a popular Shrove Tuesday tradition that started in 1445 in the Olney, located in Buckinghamshire, England. In this game, people race race each other while tossing a pancake in a pan.

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The American-style pancakes that we know today probably came about around the 1700s. The Dutch introduced their version of pancakes to America, where they quickly gained popularity. With limited ingredients and short preparation time, they were easy to make in large batches to feed a family, making it a working-class food.

In 1931, Bisquick was introduced, making the pancake-making process easier. Originally, it was developed for biscuits until a pancake mix was introduced in 1933. Now, many Americans began using pre-made pancake mixes to make extra fluffy pancakes.

Pancakes around the world can take a myriad of forms, each reflecting the unique culinary traditions and specific ingredients of the region from which they originate. Aside from the fluffy pancakes from America, other variations include French crepes, Ethiopian injera, Japanese okonomiyaki, potato pancakes and Russian blini.

All in all, pancakes are the result of thousands of years of culinary evolution. They are also celebrated for its adaptability and the joy it brings to countless tables.