Chinese pancakes trace back 5,000 years, with references appear in ancient paintings, poems

Pancakes are a common breakfast in many parts of China today, but few people are aware that the popular meal has been around for 5,000 years.An ancient griddle unearthed from the Yangshao site in central China’s Henan province reveals that the history of Chinese pancakes could date back to at least 50 centuries ago.The ancient painting above clearly shows a person preparing to make a pancake. Photo: mp.weixin.qq.com/As for their invention, legend has it that pancakes came into being when Nuwa mended the heavens.In primordial times, when the world fell apart, mother goddess Nuwa gathered five-coloured stones and melted them in a riverbed to patch up the sky.It was said that the patches that Nuwa made were the earliest form of Chinese pancakes.Another folk story suggested that pancakes were invented by Xiang Yu, a warlord who joined in the rebellions that led to the end of the Qin dynasty (221–207).