Created by | Jewish Diaspora [1] |
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Serving temperature | Served after dinner without any yeast[1] |
Main ingredients | Rice batter |
Variations | Pal appam (fermented bread for festivities and other days), Injera (Ethiopian yeast risen flatbread), lahoh (לחוח) in Yemenite Jewish Cuisine |
Other information | Cultural cuisine of the Nasrani[1] community and Malabar Jewish[1] community. It is not prepared on any other day except on Passover. The left overs are to be finished by the next day and any other left over on the third day if at all is to be burned according to the rules in leviticus |
Pesaha Appam is the unleavened Passover bread made by the Saint Thomas Christians (also known as Syrian Christians or Nasrani) of Kerala, India to be served on Passover night.[1] It is served on passover night of Maundy Thursday. Pesaha appam is made from rice batter like Palappam,[2] but it is not fermented with yeast in its preparation.[1]
Traditionally, Pesaha Appam is served in a ceremonial manner on Passover night in Syrian Christian households. The head of the family cuts the appam, dips it in paalukurukku (syrup) or Pesaha Pal (Passover milk), and serves it to the other family members.[2]
The Pesaha Appam is derived from the ancient bread of Jewish tradition.[1][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] During Passover the Saint Thomas Nasrani Christian prepare bread without yeast in accordance with the Jewish commemoration of Pesaha or Passover. This unleavened bread is prepared only for Passover and is called as Pesaha Appam or Passover unleavened bread. This was also followed by the Malabar Yehuden or Malabar Jews of Kerala.[1]
Pesaha pal (passover coconut milk [חלב קוקוס]) is served along with Pesaha Appam on the night of Passover.[9] Some families have the custom of singing traditional Kerala Nasrani Christian songs on passover night.[11] This tradition of Pesaha appam was observed by the entire Nasrani people until Portuguese persecution as well as the Cochin Jews.[9]