A dish of som tam, made with papaya, beans, chili and lime

Som tam (Thai/Isan ส้มตำ) is a spicy papaya salad originating in Laos and the Isan region of Thailand. Som (ส้ม) in Isan and Lao is sour, and tam (ตำ) means pounded. It is also sometimes written as som tum, som dtam or som dtum. Other names for the dish are papaya pok pok (from the sound produced when preparing the dish in a mortar), tam som or, in Lao and Isan, tam mak hung (ตำหมากหุ่ง, Lao ຕຳໝາກຮຸ່ງ) (mak hung is the Lao and Isan word for papaya). som tam; picture taken by User: Markalexander100 summer 2004; File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... som tam; picture taken by User: Markalexander100 summer 2004; File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Isan (or Isaan or Esarn) is the language of the Isan region of Thailand. ... Screen shot of Spice OPUS, a fork of Berkeley SPICE SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuits Emphasis) is a general purpose analog circuit simulator. ... Binomial name Carica papaya L. The papaya, also known as mamao, tree melon, or pawpaw (not to be confused with the true pawpaw), is the fruit of the tree Carica papaya. ... —Cleopatra, in Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra, 1606 A salad is a food item generally served either before or after the main dish as a separate course, as a main course in itself, or as a side dish accompanying the main dish. ... Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand Pak Isan (also written as Isaan, Issan, or Esarn; Thai/Isan อีสาน) is the northeast region of Thailand. ... Human taste sensory organs, called taste buds or gustatory calyculi, and concentrated on the upper surface of the tongue, appear to be receptive to relatively few chemical species as tastes. ... Mortar and pestle A mortar and pestle are two tools used with each other to grind and mix substances. ...

The main ingredient is grated, unripe papaya, seasoned and pounded to a softened state in a mortar. Chili, garlic, lime and fish sauce are also usually added, while beans and tomato are optional. There are many variations of the dish, some made with carrot instead of papaya. The dish combines the four main tastes of Lao/Thai cuisine: sweet papaya, sour lime, hot chilli and salty fish sauce. It is served at room temperature, traditionally with sticky rice. It is also sometimes served with pork rinds, raw water spinach, raw winged beans or raw cabbage. Very often it is paired with ping kai (gai yang in Thai), grilled chicken.. chili may refer to: chili pepper - the fruit and plant of any one of several species of the genus Capsicum chili con carne - the common name for a spicy stew-like dish chili powder - a spice mix containing cumin, dried ground peppers and other spices, traditionally used to flavor this... Garlic (Allium sativum) is a bulbous perennial food plant of the family Alliaceae. ... Lime has several meanings: Limestone Agricultural lime - a mineral soil additive Calcium oxide (also quicklime) - a chemical compound Calcium hydroxide (also slaked lime) - a chemical compound Lime (fruit) - a Citrus tree with a green fruit similar to a lemon, and the fruit of that tree. ... Fish sauce is a condiment derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. ... Green beans Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) used for food or feed. ... Binomial name Solanum lycopersicum L. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, native to South, Central America and Mexico. ... Binomial name Daucus carota L. The carrot is a root vegetable, typically orange or white in color with a woody texture. ... Human taste sensory organs, called taste buds or gustatory calyculi, and concentrated on the upper surface of the tongue, appear to be receptive to relatively few chemical species as tastes. ... Thai seafood curry Thai cuisine is known for its blend of fundamental flavors in each dish -- hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty and bitter. ... Look up Sweet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Sweet may refer to: the basic taste sensation of sweetness. ... In chemistry, salt is a term used for ionic compounds composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... Sticky rice or glutinous rice is the main type of rice grown and consumed by the Lao of Laos and Northeast Thailand, areas which are considered to be the primary center of origin and domestication of Asian rice (). It has been cultivated in this area for 4,000 years. ... Binomial name Ipomoea aquatica Forssk. ... Binomial name Psophocarpus tetragonolobus The winged bean, also known as the Goa bean, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, is a tropical plant found chiefly in rural areas of Papua ( New Guinea) and Southeast Asia. ... Cultivar Group Brassica oleracea Capitata Group The cabbage (Brassica oleracea Capitata Group) is an edible plant of the Family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae). ... Gai yang or kai yang (Thai ไกย่าง)is a type of grilled or barbecued chicken originating in the Isan region of Thailand. ...

In Laos and Isan the dish is normally more spicy and sour, while the Central Thai version is milder. Som tam Lao usually features fermented crab, while som tam Thai is prepared with dried shrimp.

Som tam can also be prepared with other unripe fruits, notably mango, in which case it is known as tam ma-muang, and cucumber, tam mak teng. Species Mangifera altissima Mangifera caesia Mangifera camptosperma Mangifera casturi Mangifera foetida Mangifera indica Mangifera kemanga Mangifera longipes Mangifera macrocarpa Mangifera odorata Mangifera pajang Mangifera pentandra Mangifera persiciformis Mangifera siamensis The mango (Mangifera spp. ...