Where did johnnycakes first come from?

The Narragansett people of present day Rhode Island are believed to be the first people to consume johnnycakes, sometime before the 1620s. They likely made the cakes using flours from various vegetables and grains indigenous to the region. By the 17th century, the johnnycake was one of the most common foods in the colonial Americas, from North Carolina to New England, and was a particularly important staple for travelers.