A pancake is a thin, flat, round cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot grudle or pan. Some pancakes are bread, which use a quick leavening agent such as while some use a -raised or fermented batter. They may be served at any time with a variety of toppings or fillings including jam, chocolate chips, fruit, or meat.
Archaeological evidence suggests that varieties of pancakes are probably the earliest and most widespread types of cereal food eaten in prehistoric societies whereby dry carbohydrate-rich seed flours mixed with the available protein-rich liquids, usually milk and eggs, were baked on hot stones or in shallow earthenware pots over an open fire to form a nutritious and highly palatable foodstuff.