Today, outside of Poland, similar flatbreads may be found in the cuisine of Ukraine, known as perepichka/перепічка or pidpalok/підпалок, though often with the addition of yeast and prepared on a pan greased with fat or salo, differing from the archaic recipe.

The name podpłomyk is derived from the Polish roots pod – 'under' and płomyk – 'flame', referring to the cooking method being on an open fire as opposed to a bread oven.

The earliest surviving recorded mention of podpłomyki is in the Latin language from the 15th century: Ecce ad caput suum subcinericius panis, pothplomyk, et vas aque oraz Iussit (sc.

At the end of this process, oval pancakes are formed from the dough with a rolling pin and placed on a heated, dry (fatless) frying pan, roasted on both sides.

The eating of podpłomyki persisted until the mid-19th century among those who could not afford an enclosed stove, and were traditionally eaten as a breakfast food on Saturdays, eventually becoming a popular flatbread in Polish cuisine.

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) may be added to them, in which case they are called sodziaki; similar to, or the same as regional Polish bread rolls known as proziaki.

[4] After a recent surge in their popularity, podpłomyki have also began to be used as a base for zapiekanki-style snacks sold as fast food, similar to Hungarian lángos.