Pesaha appam or Kurisappam is a firm rice cake made by the

Saint Thomas Christians The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala ( Malabar region) ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

to be served on the night of

Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday (also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names) is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of th ...

(Pesaha). It is made from rice batter like palappam, but is not fermented with yeast in its preparation. A cross is made using the palm leaves from Palm Sunday and placed in the middle of the batter.

Background

The Pesaha celebration of

falls on Western

and lasts for a single day. Traditionally, Pesaha appam is served in a ceremonial manner at night in Catholic households across Kerala. The head of the family cuts the appam, dips it in paalukurukku (syrup) or Pesaha pal (coconut milk), and serves it to the other family members. The brown palkurukku is made mainly using

jaggery Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and ...

and

coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ...

. The meal also includes small banana variants in Kerala such as poovan pazham or njalipoovan pazham. Some families have the custom of singing traditional Kerala Nasrani Christian songs during this meal.Chummar Choondal (1983) Christian folk songs, Kerala Folklore Academy pp 33-64 The Pesaha appam is said to derive from traditional

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

matza. Menachery, G., ed. (1973) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, B. N. K. Press, vol. 2, , Lib. Cong. Cat. Card. No. 73-905568; B. N. K. PressMenachery, G. (ed.) (1982) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, B. N. K. Press, vol. 1;Menachery, G. (ed.) (1998) The Indian Church History Classics, Vol. I, The Nazranies, Ollur, 1998. .Podipara, Placid J. (1970) The Thomas Christians. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1970. (is a readable and exhaustive study of the St. Thomas Christians.)Leslie Brown, (1956) The Indian Christians of St. Thomas. An Account of the Ancient Syrian Church of Malabar, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1956, 1982 (repr.)Thomas Puthiakunnel, (1973) "Jewish colonies of India paved the way for St. Thomas", The Saint Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, ed. George Menachery, Vol. II. Trichur.Koder S. "History of the Jews of Kerala". The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of Indial ed. G. Menachery, 1973.T. K. Velu Pillai, (1940) The Travancore State Manual; 4 volumes; Trivandrum) Like matza, it is prepared without yeast.

References

External links

{{bread Pancakes Fermented foods Saint Thomas Christians Indian breads Kerala cuisine Easter bread

Background

See also

References

External links