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What is som tam? And, why is it in the "Thai People"
section? It's a
favorite dish among people of Thailand - perhaps THE most favorite
dish. Why is so special? It is spicy and has a lot of different
tastes to it. It's cheap and can be eaten for any meal - though
usually not breakfast.
Ingredients: Unripe papaya shaved into a
shredded salad. Red and green chilis. Crushed garlic cloves.
Tomatoes. Sometimes a bit of shredded carrot pieces. A favorite
addition is "Bla Rah" often pronounced "Bla la". This is a fermented
(for 1 year) fish and or crab mixture that has a very addictive
taste once it gets you. I must admit a slight addiction for spicy
som tam.
Som Tam is often eaten with sticky rice - Kowl
Nee-ow. In Isaan among friends people eating it may use their
hands to ball up the rice before dipping it into the bowl of som
tam.
It's really delicious - and, as I said, it's
addictive. Here is a recipe for it on my
wife's blog...
Joy's Thai Food Recipe and Cooking Blog
Som Tam is in the "Thai People" section because
Som Tam IS Thai People. Does that make grammatical sense? I'm not
sure. Nor does it make logical sense, it's a simple dish but the
Thais' are nuts over it. Myself included and I'm not sure why.
It is sour, salty, and full of blistering spice - all things I like.
But really, it's so simple...
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