A crepe (sounds like “krep”) is a very thin pancake, so delicate you can almost see through it. While regular pancakes are thick and fluffy, crepes are paper-thin and flexible, like edible cloth. French cooks perfected crepes centuries ago, and they remain popular around the world today.

Crepes can be sweet or savory. Sweet crepes might be filled with Nutella, strawberries, or whipped cream and dusted with powdered sugar. Savory crepes, often called galettes, might contain cheese, ham, eggs, or vegetables. Street vendors in Paris fold crepes into triangles right before your eyes, working on special flat griddles.

Making crepes takes practice because the batter must be thin enough to spread across the pan in one smooth motion, and the crepe must cook quickly without tearing. When you master flipping a crepe in the pan with just a flick of your wrist, you've learned a skill French cooks have been perfecting for generations.