Thailand’s Som Tam voted 6th best salad in the world

[quake]

9 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

......and number one to put you in the toilet for 24 hours after

Skip,  the Ditch water crab and your be fine. 

[quake]

4 hours ago, Bim Smith said:

If only people knew it's sauce is actually Bara a fermented fish that smells like a biological weapon for the stomach. If you want to be on toilet for weeks go ahead. They make Bara (pronounced Bala) at our local market and it truly is the worse thing I have ever had the misfortune to smell. 

Never been to West Africa then. 

[Kaopad999]

5 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Very rare for me especially since som tum thai doesn't have the paddy crab. If Thai food ever sends me to the toilet it's only ever once and then things are back to normal.

Same for me too. I rarely ever get a bad stomach and i have been eating Thai food every day for the past 10 years. The most important thing is to eat from a restaurant or stand that has a high turnover rate.

[ftpjtm]

I know it's blasphemy to many, but Som Tom Thai mai phit, mai wan works for me. It's hard to find a decent western salad here, so Som Tom fills the gap nicely. 

[digger70]

17 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

thais are addicted to the buzz from chillies

but farangs says it gives em the s h i  t s

Yep ,when too spice you said it   ????

[Burma Bill]

17 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

thais are addicted to the buzz from chillies

but farangs says it gives em the s h i  t s

I was one of those farangs living in Isaan - som tam avoided like the plague. Papaya and chilli peppers gave me Bangkok Belly!! Pad Thai okay!

[ourmanflint]

numbers 1,2,4 & 5 are basically all the same thing, versions of Greek Salad

[DaveE13]

Dint mind som Tam. As others have said I ask for less sugar. 

The Greek salads I agree with very tasty

[Bday Prang]

19 hours ago, dinsdale said:

I might be wrong but that picture in the article looks like som tam thai just called tam thai. More of a milder version with dried krill and peanuts. Article doesn't mention pla ra. If you don't know what pla ra is (every one in Thailand should) it's fermented fish. This is som tam pu pla ra. Pu is the crab. Sayamia Bankokensis which is a rice paddy crab.

Pla ra is the fermented fish sauce. Looks like this....

Personally I think it stinks real bad. This is added to the salad raw. You can get cooked versions. Cooked pla ra is safer because raw pla ra can have a little surprises in it which can lead to liver cancer. The surprise is this...

Som tam should be so spicy you can hardly eat it. I watch my wife eating it, sweat pouring off her face, facial contortions, in great discomfort but that's how it has to be. I'm sure the article can not be about this.

No you were not wrong , you were absolutely correct, the "dumbed down" SomTam in the op photo bears absolutely no resemblance to the putrid north eastern version whatsoever. Even the photo of the real thing that you attached seem to be nicer looking than what's usually offered.

It is indeed almost comical watching them eat it as you say, with the facial contortions and throat slapping whilst mumbling Phet Phet and the next days after effects can also be somewhat spectacular too! 

Pla-ra is definitely Thailand's secret weapon of mass destruction and one of the few things here I refuse to eat

[Hatyaier]

6 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

......and number one to put you in the toilet for 24 hours after

McDonalds does that to me. 

[dinsdale]

19 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

No you were not wrong , you were absolutely correct, the "dumbed down" SomTam in the op photo bears absolutely no resemblance to the putrid north eastern version whatsoever. Even the photo of the real thing that you attached seem to be nicer looking than what's usually offered.

It is indeed almost comical watching them eat it as you say, with the facial contortions and throat slapping whilst mumbling Phet Phet and the next days after effects can also be somewhat spectacular too! 

Pla-ra is definitely Thailand's secret weapon of mass destruction and one of the few things here I refuse to eat

I do like som tam thai though. On a scorcher like today it's nice with sticky rice and a cold beer or 3. Not over the top spicy but spicy. I'm really not sure if this article has got it right. Som tam thai is a central Thailand dish which as explained is different to Issan som tam. I very much doubt true Issan som tam would come 6th. What do you think?

[Bday Prang]

6 hours ago, Kaopad999 said:

I like Som Tam, but i tend to avoid eating it on a regualr basis due to the high amount of sugar they use. Once a week is fine as i don't drink any fizzy drinks & rarely eat anyhting sweet.  My go to is Larb. Far more healthy & delicious IMO.

Oh yes nothing wrong with Larb I eat it several times a week although for me it has to be with sticky rice for some reason I just can't eat it with normal rice. Call me weird if you want, but I also find when eating it at home, that it goes quite well with french fries, or a baked potato . If my name was Heston Blumenthal I would probably receive an award for inventing a new "fusion cuisine" 

Have you ever tried  "Goy" another personal favorite of mine, basically raw beef infused with a copious amount of chillies and the optional addition of "Pia" not sure about the spelling, but it's basically a by product of the cows digestion, without going into too much detail lol

[Bday Prang]

12 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

I do like som tam thai though. On a scorcher like today it's nice with sticky rice and a cold beer or 3. Not over the top spicy but spicy. I'm really not sure if this article has got it right. Som tam thai is a central Thailand dish which as explained is different to Issan som tam. I very much doubt true Issan som tam would come 6th. What do you think?

Highly unlikely, It would be very difficult to find a non issan person to  even agree to taste it in order to pass judgement. It could actually be used as a task in one of those "I'm a celebrity get me out of here" shows

 

 Ants eggs "khai mut daeng" When available.  surprisingly nice with a cold beer on a hot day too! 

[quake]

Quote

.and number one to put you in the toilet for 24 hours after

22 minutes ago, Hatyaier said:

McDonalds does that to me. 

 

perhaps your inserting it in the wrong end. 

 

[Bday Prang]

6 hours ago, Kaopad999 said:

Same for me too. I rarely ever get a bad stomach and i have been eating Thai food every day for the past 10 years. The most important thing is to eat from a restaurant or stand that has a high turnover rate.

I rarely suffer from a bad stomach either, I actually  think chillies are wrongly blamed for this, more likely it is one of the other ingredients being a bit past its best that is responsible for diarrhea.  Although I have heard that Papaya itself is a natural laxative

[dinsdale]

10 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Highly unlikely, It would be very difficult to find a non issan person to  even agree to taste it in order to pass judgement. It could actually be used as a task in one of those "I'm a celebrity get me out of here" shows

 

 Ants eggs "khai mut daeng" When available.  surprisingly nice with a cold beer on a hot day too! 

Absolutely dilicious. Raw red ant eggs to those who don't know. One of my favourites.

[Kaopad999]

26 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Oh yes nothing wrong with Larb I eat it several times a week although for me it has to be with sticky rice for some reason I just can't eat it with normal rice. Call me weird if you want, but I also find when eating it at home, that it goes quite well with french fries, or a baked potato . If my name was Heston Blumenthal I would probably receive an award for inventing a new "fusion cuisine" 

Have you ever tried  "Goy" another personal favorite of mine, basically raw beef infused with a copious amount of chillies and the optional addition of "Pia" not sure about the spelling, but it's basically a by product of the cows digestion, without going into too much detail lol

I actually like to eat Larb with grileld pork istead of minced pork.  it's my new favirote style of larb. You should most certainly give it a try if you haven't alrwady done so?  
i 100% agree with you about eating larb with sticky rice. i've also  tried eating it with plain rice and it just isn't the same! lol 
Nope i've never tried  "Goy" before. I'm  certainly not scared to at least give it a try! 

[Kaopad999]

7 hours ago, PB172111 said:

One persons opinion. Personally I love it which is o e reason for me living here.

People not admitting it is garbage because of Instagram is an ignorant comment

Exactly . Thai food is excellent IMO.  it's one of the best things about living in here.  Also the availability at such reasonble prices makes it a win-win!

[dinsdale]

10 hours ago, Celsius said:

Most Thai food (sold in Thailand) is garbage, but people won't admit it.....because Instagram

It sure is garbage food. No possible way I could enjoy eating ............

 

[SpaceKadet]

You've gotta be kidding me! This is the most vile concoction ever made by man....

All with fermented fish and crab.

I would rather have a McDonald.....

Wife is a great fan of this, and sour curries with fermented fish stomach.

And they say that Swedish surstömming is terrible.....

[bananafish]

11 hours ago, quake said:

Is that even possible ?

What about fish sauce.

I've had it from vegetarian restaurants. They must just use soy sauce or something instead of fish sauce. 

 

I like fish sauce, but I'm not a fan of the dried shrimp or whatever it is in som tam Thai. 

[RickG16]

No love for Burmese salad?

[candide]

After reading that the worldwide top ten ranking includes 2 Bulgarian salads and one Serbian salad, I surely have no doubt about the representativeness of the sample of respondents! ????

[Tropposurfer]

On 4/20/2023 at 10:02 PM, 3NUMBAS said:

thais are addicted to the buzz from chillies

but farangs says it gives em the s h i  t s

I love chilli, pet mak mak please, always have. Not me, my insides have never been better in my now living here.

[Tropposurfer]

I think god fresh som tam is soooo good, ex the stinky rotten crabs some Provinces put in. Its truly awesome with a top piece of BBQ'd charred Aussie grass fed beef, a fresh piece of grilled pla or some sweet kung.

[steven100]

any farang who eats Phla Kung or Som Tam must have a cast iron gut ....   both stink to high heaven and look disgusting ...  ????

[Kaopad999]

3 hours ago, candide said:

After reading that the worldwide top ten ranking includes 2 Bulgarian salads and one Serbian salad, I surely have no doubt about the representativeness of the sample of respondents! ????

you've obviously never tried Bulgarian food. it's excellent. 

[Kaopad999]

6 hours ago, dinsdale said:

It sure is garbage food. No possible way I could enjoy eating ............

 

Looks delicious . 

[still kicking]

17 hours ago, hotchilli said:

That's a bit like ordering a cheese burger, with no cheese or meat?

That would be a vegan burger

[ozimoron]

Thai cockle shell salad is my favourite