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

2026.03.21 06:20 The origins of the Chinese pancake trace back more than 5,000 years, with references to cooking and consuming them appearing in numerous ancient paintings and poems. Photo: SCMP composite/QQ.com 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). The image above shows a cooking utensil that was used to heat the pancake mix. Photo: mp.weixin.qq.com/ Xiang was said to be inspired by a broken bird egg accidentally cooking on a hot rock during a summer and created the pancake by cooking flour paste on the rock. The pancakes were said to be an economical ancient food popular among poor people. The Chinese word for pancake, jian bing, has existed for 1,500 years and has been found in literature from that time. A poet from the Tang dynasty (618–907), Duan Wei, was known for his love of pancakes. This shallow pancake cooking pan from ancient times came with a lid. Photo: mp.weixin.qq.com/ The Collected Stories from Tang Times, written by Wang Dingbao, documented that Duan was especially productive when eating pancakes, being able to finish a poem whenever a new pancake was cooked at a gathering of poets. In t

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