Pancakes in the broadest terms—an almost flat cake cooked on a grill, griddle, or pan—are not only one of the earliest forms of bread, since they can be easily cooked on heated rocks, but also, one of the most enduring, popular and diverse breads since just about every linguistic or cultural group has some form of pancake. The pancake is breakfast, dinner and dessert. It's possible to make them with flour made from just about every kind of grain and nut, leavened or unleavened, topped or naked. They tend to be fairly simple to make as well, though the more delicate forms, like mu shu, blini, and crêpes, can take a bit of practice. The earliest actual recipe I've been able to find is from the seventeenth century, but there are lots of references to various sorts of pancakes going all the way back to ancient Greek kitchens. There's even a fun history of the pancake from the University of Chicago Press by Ken Albala titled Pancake: A Global History.

Pancakes were one of the first things I learned to cook, right after scrambled eggs. My father made them most of the time, unless we had company. He used the recipe from this cookbook. My mom made pecan pancakes sometimes, with South Carolina pecans, and New Hampshire Grade B maple syrup. One of the first things I learned about making really good pancakes was that you needed a quality pan, or griddle, and it needed to be at the right temperature. My father, when I was quite small, would let me "test" the heated griddle by sprinkling a couple of drops of water on it. If the water sizzled and danced across the surface of the griddle, it was hot enough. I favor cast iron for cooking pancakes, a well-seasoned but very clean cast iron pan. You want a thin coat of oil on the pan, but I'm not a fan of butter for cooking pancakes; it doesn't deal well with heat. One school favors cooking bacon, setting it aside to drain, and wiping down the pan with paper towels. But there are those who use a thin spray of Pam, or even a little bit of Crisco and a paper towel to make sure it's evenly spread, and not too oily, too.

Right now, my favorite recipe is this one from the Pioneer Woman; Ree Drummond's Perfect Pancakes. Now, I know, I really do, that you can make tasty pancakes from Bisquick or Aunt Jemima boxed mixes. I just don't see any point in it. If I cooked pancakes for a family, or on a regular basis, I'd make my own dry ingredients mix, but honestly, pancakes from scratch takes about ten minutes, and they really are better.