Pappadam production in northern Sri Lanka

In the Northern Province of Sri Lanka is a small-scale pappadam factory. Pappadams are served to accompany curries, but can also be eaten as a snack.

The wafer-thin, round, crispy pappadam in Cheddikulam is made from black gram and is fried or cooked with dry heat. Black gram is flour mixed with black pepper and salt.

The black gram dough is well-kneaded and rolled thin. It is cut into circles before drying and packing. Once dried, they can be stored before heating and eating.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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