papad

snack food from Indian subcontinent

A papadam, also known as a poppadom or papadum among other variants, is a snack that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Dough of black gram bean flour is either deep-fried or cooked with dry heat 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 dips such as chutneys, or toppings like chopped onions and chili peppers.