Green papaya salad is a spicy

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called '' salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of flavors, a ...

made from shredded unripe papaya. Originating in

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

, it is a national dish and a cornerstone of

Lao cuisine Lao cuisine or Laotian cuisine (, , ) is the national cuisine of Laos. The staple food of the Lao is sticky rice (, ''khao niao'', ). Laos has the highest sticky rice consumption per capita in the world with an average of of sticky rice c ...

, known locally as ''tam som'' or ''tam mak hoong''. The dish exemplifies bold, vibrant flavors, blending sour, spicy, salty, and sweet elements, and holds deep cultural significance in Laos. Green papaya salad is also widely popular in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, particularly in the

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...

region, which shares close ethnic and cultural ties with Laos due to its predominantly ethnic Lao population. Introduced to Thailand via Isan, the dish—called ''som tam'' in Thai—became a staple of

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine (, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with aromatics and spicy heat. The Australian chef David Thompson (chef), David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that ...

and spread nationwide. Beyond Laos and Thailand, green papaya salad has also gained regional prominence across continental Southeast Asia, including

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, as well as

Xishuangbanna Xishuangbanna, sometimes shortened to Banna, is one of the eight autonomous prefectures of Yunnan Province. The autonomous prefecture for Dai people is in the extreme south of Yunnan province, China, bordering both Myanmar and Laos. Xishuangbanna ...

(

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Etymology

The dish is deeply rooted in Lao cuisine, where it is traditionally called ''tam mak hoong'' (, , ) or ''tam som'' (, , ), in which the word ''tam'' () refers to the pounding of ingredients in a

mortar Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a village i ...

, a method of preparation central to Lao and neighboring culinary traditions. In Thailand, the salad is widely known as ''som tam'' (, , ), combining the Thai words ''som'' (ส้ม, "sour") and ''tam'' (ตำ, "pounded"). In Isan, a region with strong cultural and linguistic ties to Laos, the salad uses Lao-derived names ''tam bak hung'' () or ''tam som'' (). Regional variations and names include: * Burmese: သင်္ဘောသီးသုပ် (''thìn bau: thi: thoùp'') * Khmer: បុកល្ហុង (''bok l’hong'') * Rakhine: ပဒကာသီးသုပ် (''pədəɡà θí θùp'') * Vietnamese: ''gỏi đu đủ'' (a general term for papaya salad, often less spicy)

History

Papayas The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...

and

chili peppers Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to add pungency ( ...

were introduced to Southeast Asia by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 17th century from the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

in the

Columbian Exchange The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the New World (the Americas) in the Western Hemisphere, and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) in the Eastern Hemis ...

Simon de la Loubère Simon de la Loubère (; 21 April 1642 – 26 March 1729) was a French diplomat to Siam (Thailand), writer, mathematician and poet. He is credited with bringing back a document which introduced Europe to Indian astronomy, the " Siamese method ...

(1642-1729), a French diplomat, mentioned in his book that the cultivation of papaya was already widespread in Siam in 1693. Although it is unknown when papayas and chili peppers entered Laos specifically, they had already been fully integrated into the Lao territory by the time

Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix, M.E.P. (; 24 October 1805 – 18 June 1862) was vicar apostolic of Eastern Siam. Born in Combertault, France, he was consecrated as a priest of the Société des Missions Etrangères on 31 May 1828. On 3 June 1838 he w ...

and

Henri Mouhot Alexandre Henri Mouhot (15 May 1826 – 10 November 1861) was a French naturalist and explorer of the mid-19th century. He was born in Montbéliard, Doubs, France, near the Swiss border. He died near Luang-Prabang, Laos. He is remembered mostly ...

visited in mid-1800s,Mouhot, Henri, and Ferdinand de. Lanoye. Voyage Dans Les Royaumes De Siam, De Cambodge, De Laos Et Autres Parties Centrales De L'Indo-Chine: Relation Extraite Du Journal Et De La Correspondance De L'auteur. Hachette, 1868. 322. Print and were listed among key ingredients for preparing main Lao dishes. The Lao were introduced to papaya (''mak hung'') from

Khmer Loeu The Khmer Loeu ( ; "upper Khmers") is the collective name given to the various indigenous ethnic groups residing in the highlands of Cambodia. The Khmer Loeu are found mainly in the northeastern provinces of Ratanakiri, Stung Treng, and Mo ...

living in provinces bordering the southeastern Laos (who called them ''l'hun'' or ''lohung/rohung'' in Khmer). Papaya, among other fruits, were cultivated in Cambodia in the 1500s. Green papaya salad was mentioned as a favorite Lao dish by a former Lao politician,

Katay Don Sasorith Katay Don Sasorith (; July 12, 1904 – December 29, 1959) was a Laotian nationalist, politician, author, and the 8th Prime Minister of Laos (October 25, 1954 – March 21, 1956). After working as a civil servant, Katay became chief spokesman of ...

(1904-1959), in a memoir recounting his experience during his primary school years in 1910s. Furthermore, according to the travelogue “Nirat Wang Bang Yi Khan” written in 1869 by Thai poet Khun Phum, the dish was already known among members of the Lao royal family living as war hostages in Bang Yi Khan compound in Bangkok, Siam. Others believe that ''som tam'' has evolved from a Thai dish called ''pu tam or tam pu'' ( หรือ ตำปู, ) mentioned in a recipe by chef, Khunying Plian Phatsakarawong in her 1908 cookbook. This dish shares similarities with modern-day ''som tam'' but does not include papaya as an ingredient. The earliest known recipe of ''som tam'' in Thailand appeared in the Yaowapha cookbook series by Princess

Yaovabha Bongsanid Yaovabha Bongsanid (; ; 28 August 1884 – 13 June 1934) was the Princess of Siam (later Thailand). She was a member of Siamese Royal Family. She was a daughter of Chulalongkorn, King Rama V of Siam. Princess Yaovabha Bongsanid of Siam was ...

in 1935, which included ''Som tam ton malako'' () or ''Khao man som tam'' (). This recipe is similar to ''som tam'' as prepared today and includes roasted peanuts and dried shrimp as key ingredients. It is often served with rice cooked in coconut milk.

Preparation

The dish combines the five main

basic taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor cells located on tas ...

s: the sourness of the lime, spiciness of the chili,

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

iness and

savoriness Umami ( from ), or savoriness, is one of the five Taste#Basic tastes, basic tastes. It is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to Glutamic acid, glutamates and nucleotid ...

of the

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

, and sweetness of

palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed simila ...

. Pounded salads in Laos all fall under the parent category of ''tam som'', which may or may not contain green papaya, however, when no specific type of ''tam som'' is mentioned, it is generally understood to refer to green papaya salad. For absolute clarity, however, the name ''tam maak hoong'' may be used, since this name means "pounded papaya". In Thailand, it is customary that a customer ask the preparer to make the dish suited to his or her tastes. To specifically refer to the original style of papaya salad as prepared in Laos or Isan, it is known as or ''som tam Lao'' or simply as ''tam Lao'' and the dish as prepared in central Thailand may be referred to as ''som tam Thai''. Traditionally, the local variety of green papaya salad in the streets of Bangkok is very spicy due to the addition of a fistful of chopped hot

bird's eye chili Bird's eye chili or Thai chili ( owing to its shape) is a chili pepper variety (botany), variety from the species ''Capsicum annuum'' that is native to Mexico. Cultivated across Southeast Asia, it is used extensively in many Asian cuisines. It m ...

. However, with its rising popularity among tourists, it is now often served less spicy as it used to be in the past.

Additional ingredients

Together with the papaya, some or most of the following secondary items are added and pounded in the mortar with the pestle: *

Asparagus bean The asparagus bean (''Vigna unguiculata'' subsp. ''sesquipedalis'') is a legume cultivated for its edible green pods containing immature seeds, like the green bean. It is also known as yardlong bean, pea bean, long-podded cowpea, Chinese long ...

s *Brined "rice field crabs". These belong to the freshwater crab genera '' Sayamia'', '' Chulathelphusa'', and '' Esanthelphusa'' (previously classified as part of the genus '' Somanniathelphusa''), which all belong to the Gecarcinucid crab subfamily

Parathelphusinae ''Arachnothelphusa rhadamanthysi''Cave crab, Borneo Parathelphusinae is a subfamily of freshwater crabs, which was formerly placed in the family Parathelphusidae; they are mainly found in South and Southeast Asia, but also found elsewhere in A ...

. found in flooded rice fields and canals.

Isan people The Isan people (, , ; , ; , ; ) or literally Northeastern people are an ethnic group native to Isan, Northeastern Thailand with an estimated population of about 22 million. Alternative terms for this group are ''T(h)ai Isan'', ''Thai-La ...

eat the entire crab, including the shell. *

Chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

Dried shrimp Dried shrimp are shrimp that have been sun-dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many African, East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami taste. A handful of shrimp is generally used for dish ...

Fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

Garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as sodium glutamate, is a sodium salt of glutamic acid. MSG is found naturally in some foods including tomatoes and cheese in this glutamic acid form. MSG is used in cooking as a flavor enhancer with a ...

* Hog plums *

Lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

slice and lime juice *

Palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed simila ...

Shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a Fermentation, fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed Shrimp and prawn as food, shrimp or krill mixed ...

Fish paste Fish paste is fish which has been chemically broken down by a fermentation process until it reaches the consistency of a soft creamy purée or Paste (food), paste. Alternatively it refers to cooked fish that has been physically broken down by pou ...

*Raw

Thai eggplant Thai eggplant (, ') is the name for several varieties of eggplant used in Southeast Asian cuisines, most often of the eggplant species '' Solanum melongena''. They are also cultivated in India and Sri Lanka and feature in Sri Lankan cuisine. T ...

Cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

tomatoes (green or ripe) Green papaya salad is often served with

glutinous rice Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...

and ''

kai yang Kai yang or gai yang (, , ), also known as kai ping or gai ping (), or pīng kai (, ), is a Lao dish originating in Laos, but it is now commonly eaten throughout the whole of Thailand. The dish is a standard staple of street markets and read ...

''/''ping gai'' (grilled chicken). It can also be eaten with fresh

rice noodles Rice noodles are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodle ...

or simply as a snack by itself with, for instance, crispy

pork rind Pork rind is the culinary term for the skin of a pig. It can be used in many different ways. It can be rendered, fried in fat, baked, or roasted to produce a kind of pork cracklings (US), crackling (UK), or scratchings (UK); these are ...

s. The dish is often accompanied by raw green vegetables such as

water spinach ''Ipomoea aquatica'', commonly known as water spinach or kangkung, is a semi- aquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots. ''I. aquatica'' is generally believed to have been first domesticated in Southeast Asia. It is wi ...

and

white cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nbs ...

wedges on the side to mitigate the spiciness of the dish.

Variations

A non-spicy green papaya salad version exists in Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, which is much sweeter; it often contains crushed peanuts and is less likely to have fish paste or brined crab. Dried

brine shrimp ''Artemia'' is a genus of aquatic crustaceans also known as brine shrimp or ''Sea-Monkeys, sea monkeys''. It is the only genus in the Family (biology), family Artemiidae. The first historical record of the existence of ''Artemia'' dates back to t ...

are used in this Central Thai version. There are also versions that make use of unripe

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

es,

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in colour, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild ...

s and other firm vegetables or unripe fruit. Besides using varieties of fruits or vegetables as the main ingredient a popular option is to use vermicelli rice noodles wherein the dish is known as ''tam sua''. Instead of papaya, other ingredients can be used as the main ingredient. Popular variations in Laos and Thailand include the salad with: *Cucumber, usually the small variety (''tam maak taeng'', ''tam taengkwa'') *Green and unripe mango (''tam maak muang'', ''tam mamuang'') *Green and unripe

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

s (''tam maak kuai'', ''tam kluai'') *Hard and unripe santol (''tam krathon'') *

Banana flower A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – berry (botany), botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa (genus), Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called pla ...

s (''tam hua pli'') * Malay gooseberry (''tam mayom'') *

Pomelo The pomelo ( ; or pummelo, ''Citrus maxima''), also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fr ...

(''tam som o'') *'' Mu yo'' sausage (''tam mu yo'') *Mixed fruit (''tam phonlamai ruam'') *

Coconut rice Coconut rice is a dish prepared by cooking white rice in coconut milk or coconut flakes. As both the coconut and the rice-plant are commonly found in the tropics all around the world, coconut rice too, is found in many cultures throughout the wo ...

(''khao man som tam'') File:Lao papaya salad.jpg, Lao papaya salad with pork rinds File:Luang Prabang papaya salad.jpg, Luang Prabang style Lao papaya salad from Northern Laos File:Lao papaya salad with seafood.jpg, Lao papaya salad with selected crustacea, mollusks, and shellfish in addition to papaya strips File:Som tam thai.JPG, Thai green papaya salad with peanuts File:Som tam pu.jpg, Green papaya salad with brined rice paddy crabs (''som tam pu'') File:Tam phonla mai ruam.jpg, Green papaya salad with mixed fruit (''tam phonlamai ruam'') File:Somtam huapli832.jpg, Green papaya salad with

banana flower A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – berry (botany), botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa (genus), Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called pla ...

s (''tam hua pli'') File:Tam mu yo.jpg, Green papaya salad with '' mu yo'' sausage (''tam mu yo'') File:Tam mamuang pla haeng thot.jpg, A variation of the salad with green mango instead of papaya and dried

anchovies An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

(''tam mamuang pla haeng thot'') File:Tam maphrao on sen mi krop 02.jpg, ''Tam maphrao on sen mi krop'': a variation with soft coconut meat and deep-fried rice noodle

Reception

The Thai variation ''som tam'' has been listed at number 46 on ''World's 50 most delicious foods'' compiled by '' CNN Go'' in 2011 and 2018.

Etymology

History

Preparation

Additional ingredients

Variations

Reception

See also

Note

References

Further reading