Pancakes

A near-universal food

Almost every culture has a pancake of some form — flatbread of batter cooked on a hot surface. Evidence of ground grain on a 30,000-year-old grinding stone in Italy suggests pancakes may be one of the oldest cooked foods.

Major styles

• American pancake — thick, fluffy, leavened with baking powder, stacked with butter and syrup.
• French crêpe — thin, large, unleavened; sweet (with sugar, lemon, or chocolate) or savory (galette de sarrasin, with buckwheat).
• British pancake — thinner than American, eaten on Shrove Tuesday with lemon and sugar.
• Russian blini — small, leavened with yeast, often served with sour cream and caviar.
• Japanese okonomiyaki — thick savory pancake with cabbage, pork, seafood, and bonito flakes.
• Korean pajeon — scallion pancake, crispy-edged.
• Dutch baby (Bismarck) — oven-baked, puffed, served immediately.

The leavening question

American pancakes rise because of baking powder (which releases CO₂ in the heat). Resting the batter for 15 minutes lets gluten relax and bubbles form, producing a fluffier cake. Overmixing toughens the batter — a few lumps are fine.