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Appam (pronounced^[help] [apːam]), or hoppers, are a type of food in Sri Lankan and South Indian cuisine. It is called Aappam (ஆப்பம்) in Tamil Nadu. Appa is the singular of appam. It is eaten most frequently for breakfast.

• Plain hoppers are bowl-shaped thin pancakes made from fermented rice flour. They derive their shape from the small appachatti in which they are cooked. They are fairly bland, and always served with a spicy accompliment. These hoppers are made from a batter using rice, yeast, salt and a little sugar. After the mixture has stood for a couple of hours, it can be fried in the appachatti with a little oil.
• Egg hoppers are the same as plain hoppers, but an egg is broken into the pancake as it cooks.
• Milk hoppers are where a spoonful of thick coconut milk/coconut cream is added to the doughy centre. When cooked, the centre is firm to the touch but remains soft inside and has a sweeter taste from the coconut milk. An alternative is *Honey hoppers where these crispy pancakes are cooked with a good helping of palm treacle.
• The string hopper, or Idiyappa (pronounced^[help] [iʈijapːam]), is 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. 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. These hoppers can be bought ready-made.

Appam also refers to another South Indian sweet dish, which owes its origins to Tamil Nadu. This is made with flour, jaggery, clarified butter — ghee — and bananas. A batter made out of flour, jaggery and banana is poured into a vessel called appakarai, which has ghee heated to a high temperature. The appams take the shape of small cups, and are fried until deep brown. Appams are a festive sweet, made on Gokulashtami - the birthday of Hindu deity, Krishna.

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• Coconut Appam Recipe
• http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pal-appam

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