All ingredients make Somtum very tasty, spicy, salty, and sour. Laotians and Thai-Isans, people from north east of Thailand, like it spicy, and salty. Central Thais like it sweet, and sour. Somtum is good with sticky rice called “Khao Nueng” in Northern Thailand, and Thai grilled chickens, or “Gai Yang”. It is normally served with all kinds of dried noodle, deep fried pork skin, and variety of fresh vegetables such as cabbage, green bean, and morning glory. Somtum vendors also always serve other Thai-Isan dishes which are Larb (minced any kind of meat (pork, or beef, fish, or poultry) mixed with mint leaves, green onion, flavored with lime juice, fish sauce, and roasted rice powder), Goi (uncooked beef), Soop Nor Mai (shredded young bamboo shoot soaked in bamboo grass -Tiliacora triandra – juice), Goong Ten or Goi Goong (uncooked tiny fresh water shrimps), Tub Wan (pork, or beef livers), Sok Lek (uncooked beef), Nam Tok (cooked, or beef, or pork), grilled pork neck, grilled chicken, Jaew (pounded together grilled red shallots, garlics, peppers seasoning with fish sauce, or salt), Pla Dag Bong (fermented fish paste), Puong Nom (grilled beef, or pork breasts), sticky rice, etc.
Now people get more and more creative to prepare Somtum. Instead of unripe papaya, the following variety of foods are found to prepare like Somtum : fruits, seafood, corns, instant noodle, mangos, salted eggs, white pork sausage, deep fried pork skin, pork neck, crispy fish, deep fried unripe papayas, and any kinds of vegetable. Dressing is mixed separately before pouring on top of these foods. No matter how creative they get, it always still tastes like and called Somtum. Only the main material is substituted to make it different.
Creativity to make Somtum is never paused.
Tumtard is another popular creative form of Somtum. It is originally from Isan (north east of Thailand), and Laos. When many people in a village gather together for any activities for any occasions, a lot of Somtum is prepared, and put in a big tray called Tard to make sure that it is served friendly to all guests. This keeps community members close to each other.
Later on Isan people living in central Thailand, and other Somtum vendors have adopted it to serve in restaurants. Somtum is put in the middle of a big tray, other side dishes are arranged, and put all around such as white pork sausages, pickled pork sausages crispy small fish, golden apple snails, cockles, boiled eggs, salted eggs, stir fried white noodle, dried white noodle topped with fried garlic, bean sprout, pickled vegetables, fresh green bean, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, morning glory, and all kinds of boiled vegetables, etc.
Somtum is very tasty with all kinds of taste: spicy, salty, sour, and sweet. Since the taste is too spicy for people who are not used to, it is necessary to soften it to serve foreigners. So it is more like salad dish to them, and known as “Papaya Salad” around the world. It is not only tasty, but also healthy which is perfect for weight watchers. That is one of the reasons that makes Somtum so popular all over the world.