tl;dr – French crêpes are superior to American or Scotch pancakes for reasons of versatility and health.

The thin and flexible nature of crêpes means they can be filled with all sorts of foods and not just merely topped with flavours. Whether it’s with Nutella and banana, chocolate and strawberries or just a classic sugar and lemon, crêpes are a fantastic dessert. Although pancakes can also be accompanied by such sweet foods, they remain inferior because they are less versatile. Crêpes can be stuffed with ham and cheese, mushroom and leeks or just about anything savoury. Pancakes, on the other hand, are less conventionally paired with main meal products and tend to stick with a dousing of maple syrup and whipped cream.

The versatility of the crêpe doesn’t just include flavours but also mobility. To buy a crêpe from a stall and wonder the streets of Paris is done with ease. However, when eating a stack of pancakes it's necessary to take a seat and labouriously get the knife and fork out.

Additionally, a traditional crêpe is made with buckwheat flour, which is both healthy and gluten-free meaning the thin treat has fewer calories, fat and sugar compared to its fat and fluffy baking-powder filled pancake alternative.

TL;DR Crêpes are not better than (traditional British) pancakes.

When assessing which variety of pancake is superior, it is necessary to employ a ranking system rather than a direct comparison. For the sake of this argument we'll discuss three varieties: the American pancake, the crêpe and the garden variety British pancake. The last two may look similar, but the differences between them are enough to give one a clear advantage over the other.

The defining feature of the American pancake in this list is the fact that it contains a rising agent. The result is thick and fluffy. Substantial. They really do feel like a mouthful. By some accounts, this is a boon. That being said, many people prefer a meal that does not take conscious effort to eat. There is too much active mastication involved in the eating of American Pancakes for them to truly have the jump on their pancake peers.

You could be forgiven that crêpes and "British" pancakes are the same thing, given that they contain largely the same basic ingredients. Where the American pancake is too thick, the crêpe is too thin. It's bigger than a British pancake, sure- but it has no bite or texture. It's like eating air. This is the downfall for the crêpes and what ranks the traditional British pancake above the crêpes. Neither too thick nor too thin; too big or too small. Some people may say it's just a smaller, thicker crêpe. Some people are incorrect.