Green papaya salad
Green papaya salad is a spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya, that possibly originated in Laos but nowadays is eaten throughout Continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam). 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. Papaya salad was featured as Laos' national costume at the Miss Grand International 2021 pageant. History. Papaya and chili peppers were introduced to Southeast Asia by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 17th century from the Americas. Although it  is unknown when papayas entered Laos specifically, they had already been integrated into Lao culture by the time of Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix's visit in 1836. Thai historian Sujit Wongthes has speculated that the green papaya salad originated in the communities of ethnic Chinese–Lao settlers living in the Chao Phraya plains of what is now Central Thailand—where it became known as "som tam"—during the early Rattanakosin period (late 18th to early 19th centuries). The new dish, along with the papaya, then spread to today's Northeast Thailand following the construction of the Northeastern railway line during the turn  of the 19th–20th centuries, and became more popular after the opening of Mittraphap Road in 1957 helped bring new papaya cultivars into the region. The dish has since become widely adopted by the ethnic Lao people of both Isan and Laos. Likewise, the hot flavour also spread to Isan and Laos from Central Thailand, which had been introduced to chilli peppers first. However, during the 1950s and 1960s, green papaya salad and other Lao dishes were rarely known in Bangkok and could only be found around the boxing stadium that gathered boxers and fans from Northeastern Thailand, as well as  in mobile food carts outside construction sites with workers from Northeastern Thailand and gas stations serving long-distance bus drivers. During the standardization of the Thai national cuisine, green papaya salad was among the Northeastern or Lao dishes to be included into the Thai national cuisine and modified by reducing the amount of chilli peppers and increasing the amount of sugar. Preparation. The dish combines the five main basic tastes: sourness of the lime, the spiciness of the chili, saltiness and savoriness of the fish sauce, and sweetness of palm sugar. The ingredients are mixed and pounded in a mortar , which is reflected in the Khmer, Lao and Thai names for the dish that literally mean "pounded papaya". In Laos, green papaya salad is one of the traditional staples of the Lao. 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. 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: Green papaya salad is often served with glutinous rice and "kai yang"/"ping gai" (grilled chicken). It can also be eaten with fresh rice noodles or simply as a snack by itself with, for instance, crispy pork rinds. The dish is often accompanied by raw green vegetables such as water spinach and white cabbage wedges on the side to mitigate the spiciness of the dish. Variations. It is  believed to have originated in Laos, from where it was exported into Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Variations of the dish are found throughout Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and as well as in the West, where it is more commonly known by its Thai name. A non-spicy green papaya salad version also 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 are used in this Central Thai version. There are also versions that make use of unripe mangoes, apples, cucumbers, carrots  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: