Papadam

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Indian English Template:Infobox food A papadam (also spelled poppadom, among other variants), also known as papad, is a snack that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Dough of black gram bean flour is either deep fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. Papadam is typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean or as an appetizer, often with a dip such as chutneys, or toppings such as chopped onions and chili peppers, or it may be used as an ingredient in curries.

Etymology

Papadam is a loanword from Tamil Template:Transliteration, and is likely to be derived from Sanskrit Template:Transliteration, meaning a flattened disc described in early Jain and Buddhist literature. Papad is known by several names in the various languages of India, e.g. Template:Transliteration in Hindi; Template:Transliteration in Telugu; Template:Transliteration or Template:Transliteration in Tamil; Template:Transliteration in Kannada; Template:Transliteration in Sinhala; Template:Transliteration in Malayalam; Template:Transliteration in Marathi; Template:Transliteration in Punjabi; Template:Transliteration in Gujarati; Template:Transliteration in Odia; and Template:Transliteration in Assamese.

Regional variations

File:RollednRoastedPapads.jpg

Jackfruit papadam from Bengaluru

File:Different Papad - Kolkata 2015-10-21 6134.JPG

Different types of papads are sold at stores.

Papad recipes vary from region to region and from household to household. They are typically made from a flour or paste made from lentils, chickpeas, black gram, rice, or potatoes.

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 are also added. The dough is shaped into thin, round flatbreads, 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.

In most Indian restaurants around the world, they are served as an appetizer with dips, which often include mango chutney, lime pickle, onion chutney, and raita. Masala papad with sev, onion, tomato and coriander leaves is one of India's most popular appetizers.

Ingredients and preparation

Papadam can be prepared from different ingredients and methods. One popular recipe uses flour ground from hulled split black gram mixed with black pepper, salt, a small amount of vegetable oil and a food-grade alkali, and the mixture is kneaded. A well-kneaded dough is then flattened into very thin rounds and then dried and stored for later preparation and consumption. It may also contain rice, jackfruit, sago, etc., as main ingredients.

Cracked black pepper, red chili powder, asafoetida, cumin or sesame seeds are often used as flavoring agents. Papadam is also made from rice flakes, ragi or horsegram.

Gallery

• Appadam
  Appadam
• Rice papadam
  Rice papadam
• Uradal papadam
  Uradal papadam
• Fire-toasting papadam
  Fire-toasting papadam
• A Nepali thali with papad
  A Nepali thali with papad
• Raw jackfruit papad in coastal Karnataka
  Raw jackfruit papad in coastal Karnataka
• Papadams with chutney are often served as an appetizer at South Asian restaurants around the world.
  Papadams with chutney are often served as an appetizer at South Asian restaurants around the world.
• Microwaved papad texture
  Microwaved papad texture

See also

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• Template:Annotated link

External links

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