A dish of som tam, made with papaya, beans, chili and lime
Som tam or Som tum (Thai: ส้มตำ, IPA: som ɗam) also known as Tam mak hoong (Lao: ??????????, Isan: ตำมักหุ่ง, IPA: ɗam mak huŋ) is a spicy salad made from shredded unripened papaya originally from Laos and Lao-settled Isan region of northeastern Thailand. Variations of the dish are found throughout Laos and Thailand, as well as in the West, where it is more commonly known by its Thai version and Thai name. A similar dish is also eaten in Cambodia, where it is known as bok l'hong. It is often served with sticky rice (Lao: ເຂົ້າໜຽວ, Thai/Isan: ข้าวเหนียว, IPA: kʰaːw nio) and gai yang (Lao: ປິງໄກ່, IPA: piŋ gɑj, Isan: ไก่ย่าง, gɑj ɲːaŋ, Thai: ไก่ย่าง, IPA: gɑj jːaŋ). It is also sometimes served over rice noodles and raw vegetables to mitigate the spiciness of the dish, or simply as a snack by itself with crispy pork rinds.
The dish combines the four main tastes of Lao/Thai cuisine: sour lime, hot chile, salty fish sauce, and sweetness added by palm sugar. In Laos and Thailand, it is customary that a customer ask the preparer to make the dish suited to his or her tastes, but traditionally, a typical tam mak hoong will contain some or all of the following items:
Isan people also refer to tomatoes as เขอเคอ (IPA: kʰɤːkʰɤː) and, although rare, may refer to gai yang as ไก่ปิง, pronounced the same as Lao ປິງໄກ່.
Names
ຕໍາໝາກຫຸ່ງ literally means 'pounded papaya', where tam means 'pounded' and mak hoong is the word for 'papaya'. In Thai, papayas are มะละกอ (IPA: maʔlaʔgɔː). In Isan, a common variant of mak hoong is บักหุ่ง (bak hoong) which means the same thing. The Thai name, ส้มตำ (som tam) means 'sour pounded'. To specifically refer to the dish as prepared traditionally in Laos or Isan, it is known as ส้มตำลาว or som tam Lao or simply as tam Lao.
Variations
The Central Thai version tends to be quite mild and much sweeter, in comparison, and often contains crushed peanuts, and less likely to have padaek or brined crab. Dried brine shrimp are also used in this version, commonly referred to as ส้มตำรามา or som tam rama. There are also versions that are made with unripened mangoes, cucumbers, carrots, and other firm vegetables or unripened fruits.
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