appam

[op-uhm]

noun

1. a thin, bowl-shaped pancake from southern India, made from a fermented batter of rice flour and grated coconut or coconut milk.

Word History and Origins

Origin of appam¹

First recorded in 1970–75; from Tamil appam, from Malayalam appam

Example Sentences

Dosa, idli, and appam — some of my 9-year-old daughter's Indian favorites — are on frequent rotation here.

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Ditto for pillowy idli and lacy appam.

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Chennai refers to the capital of Tamil Nadu, the southern state that Rajoo, 44, calls home; hoppers is the Anglicized word for appam, the pancake based on fermented rice batter and fresh coconut.

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The menu is about the size of a newspaper and carries almost as much information, with a glossary on the reverse side that runs from appam to yakhni.

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My spicy facsimile almost channels Thattu's warming winter stew known as pork peralan, with hunks of tender pork in cumin-scented tomato curry—whose reddish oil slick stains my fingers as I scoop it up with lacey appam, a tangy fermented rice crepe.

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