Appam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Appam

Appam
Alternative names	Hoppers, Ãppa, kallappam, vellappam, palappam
Type	Pancake or griddle cake
Course	Breakfast or dinner
Associated national cuisine	India, Sri Lanka
Main ingredients	Rice batter
Variations	Egg hoppers

Appam is a type of pancake, originating from South India, made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk, common in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and many other southern states in India. It is eaten most frequently for breakfast or dinner.

History

Vir Sanghvi, an Indian journalist, quotes food historian K. T. Achaya and states that the appam is mentioned in the Tamil Perumpanuru. Achaya states that appam was well-established in ancient Tamil country.

Variations

An appam being cooked in Kerala

Appam served with coconut milk

Appam served with chickpea curry from Kerala

Plain appam

Plain appam or vella appam are bowl-shaped thin pancakes made from fermented rice flour. They derive their shape from the small appachatti in which they are cooked.

Egg appam

With egg cooked in middle

They are same as plain appams, but an egg is broken into the pancake as it cooks.

Idiyappam

Idiyappam (string hopper or noolputtu) is made from rice noodles curled into flat spirals. It is served for breakfast with a thin fish or chicken curry, containing only one or two pieces of meat, a dhal (lentil) dish, and a spicy sambol or fresh chutney. Kiri hodi or sodhi, a type of coconut milk curry, is another popular accompaniment to idiyappam. String hoppers are made from steamed rice flour made into a dough with water and a little salt, and forced through a mould similar to those used for pasta to make the strings. They are cooked by steaming. Some people even sprinkle grated coconut on the rice noodles. These hoppers can be bought ready-made. The Indian and Sri Lankan population eats string hoppers for breakfast or dinner. There are many variations to this, depending on, for example, the type of flour used. This simple dish can be adapted into other foods such as string hopper biriyani, by adding scrambled eggs or vegetables.

Idiyappam with egg masala curry

Achappam

Achappam is a deep-fried rose cookie made with rice. It is a signature Syrian Christian food.

Kuzhalappam

Kuzhalappam is a typical Syrian Christian dish which is a fried crisp curled up like a tube.

Neyyappam

Neyyappam owes its origins to Kerala and has been a traditional offering in Hindu temples for God. It is made with rice flour, jaggery, clarified butter ghee, which is the traditional method of making Nei appam. Again, the different culture and religious practices introduced variations to the dish as described in the citation above

Unni appam is a variation in which mashed plantain is added to the batter. The batter is made out of rice flour, jaggery and plantain is poured into a vessel called appakarai or appakaram, which has ghee heated to a high temperature. The appams take the shape of small cups and are fried until deep brown.

Pesaha appam

Pesaha appam is made by Nasrani Christians in Kerala during Pesaha (Passover). This type of appam is dipped in syrup or Pesaha Pal (Passover Coconut Milk) before being served.

Vattayappam

Vattayappam

Vattayappam is made from rice flour, sugar, and coconut. It is an oil free tea time snack in majority of households in Kerala. The dish is made by steam-cooking the batter, and is very similar to the bánh bò from Vietnam.

Burmese apon

Appam, called apon (အာပုံ) in Burmese, is a common street food in Burmese cuisine. It is considered a delicacy of Southern Myanmar, in coastal towns like Dawei and Myeik.

Kue apem

Indonesian kue apem, sold in Lok Baintan floating market, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan

In Indonesia, a variant of appam is known as kue apem or kue apam. It is an Indonesian kue or traditional cake of steamed dough made of rice flour, coconut milk, yeast and palm sugar, usually served with grated coconut. Indonesian households or community traditionally communally made kue apem for celebration and festivities. For example, Keraton Yogyakarta traditionally held Ngapem ceremony, where royal household communally cook kue apem (Javanese version of appam) as a part of Tingalan Jumenengan Dalem ceremony. It is quite similar to kue mangkok. Just like kue putu it is derived from Indian influence on Indonesian cuisine.

See also

In Spanish: Appam para niños