My favourite food in the world

 

A plate of hot pancakes drizzled with Buckwheat Honey might be the most loved food item of the planet.

A pancake is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying with oil or butter.Pancakes, in some form, have been around for an incredibly long time. According to National Geographic 

 pancake-like food has probably been around for 5,300 years and possibly as long as 30,000 years.

We have archaeological evidence from 30,000 years ago of ground flour made from cattails and ferns, which was probably mixed with water and cooked on hot rocks by an open fire to make the world's most unappetizing pancake. Otzi the Iceman, who died 5,300 years ago, had in his stomach ground einkorn wheat and charcoal, again suggesting a pancake-like food made of flour and cooked over an open fire. More recently, the ancient Romans and Greeks ate pancakes sweetened with honey and the Elizabethans ate them on Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday).

From some digging around with Google, it's unclear whether or not we know exactly when pancakes resembling modern, leavened pancakes showed up, but everyone seems to agree that they are more recent than unleavened pancakes, which range from crepes to hardtack. The National Geographic article quotes them as being contemporary with Thomas Jefferson (though he preferred crepes)

Here are our top five reasons to love pancakes.

1. Pancakes are fun and flexible

By nature, pancakes are flat and perfect for stacking, plus they can be folded over or rolled up to hold their filling better. The batter can be made into all sorts of shapes, like animals,kids and hearts for Valentine’s Day, by using a squeeze bottle.

2. Pancakes are a great breakfast option

Quick and easy, pancakes can be cooked ahead of time and defrosted on the day. Fill them with bananas, berries or citrus fruit and honey to make a healthy(ish) breakfast, or go the full hog and spread them liberally with Nutella and sprinkle in some choc chips, you know, for texture.

3. Pancakes make a perfect weeknight dinner

Loved by some and hated by others, the savoury pancake can be filled with ingredients like smoked salmon and cream cheese, creamed spinach, creamy chicken and mushrooms – we quite enjoy the cream theme – and even bacon and scrambled eggs. What’s not to like about a vehicle for all your favourite foods? Throw in an impressive filling and no one will judge you for having pancakes for dinner.

4. Pancakes offer endless dessert options

These flat cakes are ideal for building easy, no-fuss desserts. The internet is an imaginative plac

5. Pancakes let you skip the shops

All you need to make a batch of pancakes is cake flour, baking powder, eggs and milk, and a splash of oil for frying – all ingredients bound to be on your almost-bare shelves at the end of the month. Pancakes can be matched with anything, really. Use your imagination and you might find that the lone banana in your fruit bowl and dusty tin of caramel could be just the thing.