What kind of pan is used to make hoppers?

A small, deep, curved pan like a mini wok

What is an egg hopper?

A hopper with an egg cooked in its center

A hopper made with egg instead of rice

Sri Lankan Hoppers Quiz: Batter, Pans and Egg Hoppers

A thin rim of crunch around a spongy bowl-shaped center is the mark of a good appa, and this Sri Lankan hoppers quiz explains how cooks get it right. Play 10 questions on fermented rice batter, coconut milk, the small curved pan, egg hoppers, string hoppers, lunu miris and kithul treacle.

Start Sri Lankan Hoppers Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Batter
Which two main ingredients form hopper batter?
Ferment
What was traditionally used to ferment hopper batter?
Pan
What kind of pan is used to make hoppers?
Egg
What is an egg hopper?
String
What are string hoppers?
Sambol
Which spicy relish of onion and chili is a classic hopper partner?
Coconut
Which coconut relish is also served with hoppers?
Sweet
What gives honey hoppers their sweetness?
Name
What is the Sinhala name for hoppers?
Mealtime
When are hoppers usually eaten in Sri Lanka?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which two main ingredients form hopper batter?
Answer: Rice flour and coconut milk
Hoppers use a fermented batter of rice flour and coconut milk, which gives them their soft center and slightly sour taste.
Q2: What was traditionally used to ferment hopper batter?
Answer: Toddy, a palm wine
Coconut toddy supplied wild yeasts; today many cooks use dried yeast or a pinch of sugar and time instead.
Q3: What kind of pan is used to make hoppers?
Answer: A small, deep, curved pan like a mini wok
The batter is swirled around the hot curved pan so it clings thinly to the sides and pools in the middle.
Q4: What is an egg hopper?
Answer: A hopper with an egg cooked in its center
An egg is cracked into the soft middle while the hopper cooks under a lid.
Q5: What are string hoppers?
Answer: Steamed nests of rice noodles
String hoppers, or idiyappam, are made by pressing rice dough through a mold and steaming the strands.
Q6: Which spicy relish of onion and chili is a classic hopper partner?
Answer: Lunu miris
Lunu miris combines red onion, chili, salt, lime and often Maldive fish.
Q7: Which coconut relish is also served with hoppers?
Answer: Pol sambol
Pol sambol is grated coconut mixed with chili, onion and lime juice.
Q8: What gives honey hoppers their sweetness?
Answer: Kithul treacle from palm sap
Kithul treacle comes from the sap of the fishtail palm and is a favorite Sri Lankan sweetener.
Q9: What is the Sinhala name for hoppers?
Answer: Appa
In Sinhala they are appa; in Tamil and in Kerala, a close relative is called appam.
Q10: When are hoppers usually eaten in Sri Lanka?
Answer: Breakfast or dinner
Hoppers are a common street food and home meal in the morning or evening.

Sri Lankan Hoppers Quiz – Sri Lanka's Favorite Bowl-Shaped Pancake

Hoppers, called appa in Sinhala, are bowl-shaped pancakes made from a fermented batter of rice flour and coconut milk. Traditionally, palm toddy started the fermentation, giving the batter a light sourness.

Cooks pour batter into a small, curved pan and swirl it so the edges become thin and crisp while the middle stays thick and soft. An egg hopper has an egg cooked in the center, and milk hoppers add extra coconut milk.

Hoppers are served with relishes such as lunu miris and pol sambol, along with curries. Sweet honey hoppers use kithul treacle. String hoppers, steamed nests of rice noodles, share the name but are a different dish.

What This Quiz Teaches

Food lovers and travelers will enjoy these questions.

What goes into the batter
How the pan shapes hoppers
What egg and string hoppers are
Which relishes go with them
When Sri Lankans eat them

Did You Know?

Hopper stalls are common in Colombo at night.
Kerala's appam is a close cousin.
Some cooks add a little sugar to speed fermentation.
Hoppers are naturally gluten-free.
Lids help the center steam while the edges crisp.