A market that sells only ‘Appams’ - Vellappangady, Thrissur
Thrissur or ‘Thirushivaperur’ of the God’s own country is known for the magnificent ‘Vadakkunathar’ temple that depicts the ‘Chera’ architecture of the integrated Thamizhagam and its vibrant ‘Pooram’ festival. The cultural capital of Kerala is also known for its 24/7 market that sells delicious ‘Appams’. ‘Appams’ are household names in the South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and in the island nation of Sri Lanka. Appam is a not a new World delicacy, ‘Perumpannatrupadai’ (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை, (Tamil)) of Sangam literature that belongs to 100 BCE – 100 CE has a mention about ‘Appams’. Appam is a type of pancake made with fermented rice, batter, and coconut milk. Irrespective of their religious practices and subculture, Tamils, Malayalis, and Sinhalese patronize these rice pancakes for breakfast and dinner.
On a narrow street by the ancient Puthanpalli church in Thrissur is Vellappangady, a market that only sells appams. Yes, you read it right; this 200-year-old market sells only appams. Vellappangady straightly translates to ‘the market which sells white appams’. However, this market dotted with 12 to 15 shops near the busiest ‘Swaraj Round’ of Thrissur, sells a variety of appams like vellappam, paalappam, unniappam, achappam, kuzhalappam, kallappam along with delicious savories of Central Kerala. The street is marked by white mists of steam mounting from the velleppam pans on clay hearths, which are fueled by coconut shell ember and charcoal. A delightful aroma of the fluffy, moon-faced appam puffs through the air around the ‘Swaraj Round’ all the time.
An appam shop in Vellappangady sells 500 to 1000 appams on a weekday. Mornings and evenings being the peak hours, the vendors seldom remember the customer count as few place bulk orders and few lodge the shop-front in big batches. One vellappam cost Rs.5 and all the shops in this pancake market decide the rates, unanimously.
Business here in Vellappangady reaches its bloom during the festive seasons of Thiruvonam (Onam), Pooram, Easter, Christmas and New Year. Bulk orders for marriages, church masses, and restaurants from nearby towns and districts of Central Kerala also assure their livelihood. It is noteworthy to know that, this pancake business has also been taken up by few of the immigrants from the regions of Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Your next visit to Kerala might be to the sunny beaches of Kumarakom or to the lagoons of Alleppey, but do not forget to have a stop at Thrissur’s Vellappangady, for tasting these soft and lacy white pancakes.
Thrissur is 472 Kms from Bengaluru and 617 Kms from Chennai.
