Appalam

Papadum

Jackfruit papad from Bengaluru
Alternative names	Papad, appadam, papar, pampad, happala, poppadam, poppadom, appalam
Place of origin	Indian Subcontinent
Region or state	South Asian with region variations
Main ingredients	Lentils, black gram, chickpeas, rice flour
Variations	Rice, tapioca (sabudana), or potato papad,masala pappad ,garlic pappad,ginger pappad

Papadum is a thin, crisp, disc-shaped food from the Indian subcontinent; typically based on a seasoned dough usually made from peeled black gram flour (urad flour), fried or cooked with dry heat. Flours made from other sources such as lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, or potato can be used.

Papadums are typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka or as an appetizer or snack, sometimes with toppings such as chopped onions, chopped carrots, chutneys or other dips, and condiments. In certain parts of India, papadums which have been dried but not cooked are used in curries and vegetable dishes.

Pappad is called as Appalam in Tamil Nadu, pappadum in Kerala and pappad in most of the country.

Pappad is mainly manufactured in Rajasthan, Maharastra in the north and in the south,Kerala and TamilNadu in Madurai district and Kanchipuram and Chennai are major pappad or appalam manufacturers. It is called as 'happala' in Karnataka.

Papadum is a loanword from Tamil பப்படம் pappaṭam, which comes from the Sanskrit word पर्पट (parpaṭa).

Papadum recipes vary from region to region and from family to family. They are typically made from flour or paste derived from either lentils, chickpeas, black gram (urad flour), rice, or potato.

Salt and peanut oil are added to make a dough, which can be flavored with seasonings such as chili, cumin, garlic, or black pepper. Sometimes, baking soda or slaked lime is also added. The dough is shaped into a thin, round flatbread and then dried (traditionally in the sun), and can be cooked by deep frying, roasting over an open flame, toasting, or microwaving, depending on the desired texture.