Pancakes are the best way to start the day and in these countries, the fluffy stacks are reigning supreme at the table.

Mix batter, grease a pan or grid, cook up a flat cake on it. That’s the basic logic of the beloved breakfast/snack/dessert staple, the pancake. Archeological evidence suggests it’s been a thing among humans since prehistoric times, making it possibly one of the oldest foods in human history! This might explain pancakes’ absolute popularity and presence across so many different cultures on all five continents.

Flapjacks, griddlecakes, crêpes, pajeon, blini; they come in different names, sweet, savory, made with rice, made with potatoes, made with wheat, eaten with syrup, stuffed with meat, fried with vegetables. If you can imagine it, it exists, and here are a few recipes on the most mouth-watering pancakes around the world for your enjoyment:

A post shared by Jack Rock ~ Vegan Recipes (@that_vegan_dad)

Made with dough instead of batter, Hotteok is one of the most popular Korean street foods. Traditionally filled with sweet, gooey brown sugar syrup and nuts and eaten piping hot off the griddle, it’s a perfect treat for any time, but particularly delicious on a cold winter day. As one of the most popular street foods in Korea, Hotteok is a must-try for any foodie visitor.

A post shared by Ian / NYC / HI 🇯🇲/🇺🇸 (@imma_eat_this)

Inspired by American pancakes, but made positively angelic, the secret to this Japanese take on pancakes is to incorporate meringue into it, which makes it airy and fluffy, and cook it for a longer period on steam. It’s more of a weekend treat than an everyday breakfast, but that’s to be expected for the experience of eating sweet, syrup topped clouds.Recipe

A post shared by Refeições Ultracongeladas (@cozinhademaju)

Brazilian pancakes are often made thin and golden, somewhere between a crêpe and flapjack. They are traditionally served with savory filling - bolognese sauce, meat, chicken, or corn are popular - and then baked in tomato or creamy white sauce. Another twist is the popular spinach pancakes, the spinach batter turning the pancakes a bright green. It’s a winner in Brazilian grandma’s books!

Related: A Foodie’s Guide Through Brazil’s Five Regions

A post shared by Helen Rennie (@helen.rennie)

Syrniki is what would come out of cheesecake and pancake had a baby. This Slavic delight is thick and fluffy, soft and airy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Made with soft white cheese such as a cottage or curdled cheese (preferably tvorog!), Syrniki’s can be found and enjoyed in Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Ukraine, and Latvia. They’re often made and sold sweet and eaten with sour cream and jam, but can be made savory as well.

A post shared by Orale Pana Tx (@oralepanatx)

Cachapas, also known as Arepas, are pancakes made with cornflour, typical of Venezuela and Colombia and popular throughout many Latin American countries. It’s believed that Cachapas date back to pre-Colombian times.

Cachapas usually have a thick and lumpy consistency, due to the corn kernels in the batter, fried to a sunny yellow crisp. They are often eaten with queso de mano (hand cheese, or handmade cheese) and sometimes chicharron (fried pork). Cachapas are popular street food in many countries in Latin America.

A post shared by Cook with locals (@cookwithlocals)

Cong You Bing, also known as scallion or green onion pancakes, are Chinese street food staples. Like Hotteok, they’re made with dough, not batter, and folded in with oil and scallions. They are then left to rest and rise, spread thinly, and fried to perfection. The result is a crispy, flaky and chewy pancake, its many layers giving it a unique texture, somehow similar to a croissant.

Cong You Bing can be eaten as a street food style meal or as an aperitif, and are popular restaurant snacks as well.

A post shared by Hyosun -- Korean Bapsang (@koreanbapsang)

Korea has a version of green onion pancakes of their own, named Pajeon - pa - scallion, and jeon - pancakes. Pajeon pancakes made have a considerably simpler method, by chopping up a bunch of scallions, pouring batter directly on top of them, and then letting a piping hot griddle do its crispy magic. This type of jeon can be made with a variety of vegetables as well.

Related: Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day And These U.S. States Are Serving It The Best

A post shared by Lincoln & London (@the_life_of_lincoln)

Often what comes to mind when we read the word ‘pancake’ is a chubby, golden brown stack of griddle cakes topped with butter and syrup. That we own to the popularity of American-style flapjacks, thick, fluffy, made with a leavening agent (such as baking powder) to give it arise. They’re a popular and versatile breakfast food, often served with bacon, eggs, and fruit.

A post shared by TAP NYC (@tap_nyc)

Tapioca flour has experienced a boom among health enthusiasts and bubble tea lovers, but Brazilians have been eating tapioca for many decades! A temperamental flour, tapioca has a glue-like nature…except it's good!

Tapioca flour can be pressed into the pan to make a pancake-like disk in its most traditional form, often filled with sun-dried meat; this is the way it is most often sold and enjoyed in many street foods stands across Brazil, especially in the Northeast. Or, it can be used to make a more “regular” by mixing prepared tapioca flour and eggs. The consistency of this tapioca pancake is more similar to a crêpe.

Next: A Guide On How To Enjoy The Best Of Taiwan’s Incredible Night Market Food