There's a lotta different varieties... There are the poppadoms, the small bites which are the subject of the article.

Then there are paapads, which are basically the thin, less bubbly, often nearly plate-sized North Indian variety, often dosed with a smattering of spice. These are fire toasted and are the ones you commonly get at your local Indian for appetizer.

Then there's the South Indian appalam/pappadam which is smaller, made of rice, and often bubbly. Those usually are not spiced and are fried, often to eat with rice meals and not alone.

In some parts of South India like Bengaluru and Calicut, you can even get pappadams made out of jackfruit. These are usually made into conical shapes and are eaten as snacks.