How Papad is Not the Same as Appalam is Not the Same as Pappadum!

Crunchy appalams have a history in south Indian cuisine, just like the pappadum of Kerala.

The appalam and the pappadum have a crunchy history.

(Image: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

You could call them lentil wafers, since they are basically made of urad dal flour, but the cultural connect is in the name – appalam or pappadum if you happen to have an affinity for the Malayali version.

You see, it is natural to compare it with the North Indian papad. Both are similar in the sense that they are made of seasoned lentil flour that’s either fried in oil or roasted over fire. But the papad is not an appalam, and it is not a pappadum. To know the difference, tune in to Southern Slurp!