What is the South Indian bowl-shaped crepe called?

The South Indian bowl-shaped crepe is called appam. It is made from fermented rice batter, often enriched with coconut milk, and cooked so the edges become thin and lacy while the center remains soft and thicker.

Appam is strongly associated with Kerala and Tamil Nadu in South India, and it is also a staple in Sri Lankan cuisine, where it is commonly called a hopper. It is traditionally cooked in an appachatti, a small deep pan whose curved shape helps create the characteristic bowl form.

The batter’s fermentation gives appam a mild tang and a light texture. Appams are often eaten for breakfast or dinner with vegetable, meat, or egg curry. An egg hopper is a familiar variation in which an egg is cracked into the center while the pancake cooks.

Appam is easy to confuse with dosa or uttapam, but those are different preparations. Dosa is generally broad and flat, while uttapam is thicker and usually topped with vegetables. Appam’s defining clue is its bowl-like shape and delicate, crisp rim.