The Thailand Sex Diet. Never heard of it? If you have been to Thailand you will have undoubtedly tried it. The dish is better known as 'Som Tam' or Papaya Green Salad. It make as delicious starter or can make a main meal. The ingredients may change slightly from chef to chef but essentially the main ones remain the same. These provide the Five S's. Sweet, Sour, Salty, Spicy and Sexy. Yes Sexy. I will explain in more detail a little later on.
Som Tam will be served in just about every Thai restaurant and there are many street vendors who specialise in selling it. As it does not involve any cooking it is one Thai dish that will be quickly produced at home or in an apartment
Green Papaya Salad
The Green Papaya Salad (Som tam) as it is eaten in Thailand has several basic ingredients.
These are:
- Green shredded papaya
- Sugar (to taste)
- Salt (to taste)
- Lime or Tamarind
- Green Beans
- Garlic
- Chilli peppers
- Fish sauce (nam pla)
- Tomatos
- Peanuts
After this basic recipe there will be additions and subtractions according to family tradition, taste preference, whether it is vegetarian or not. Most Thai's from Isaan will include small raw marinated crabs. With these the dish is called Som tam pbooh . It is usually eaten on its own or occasionally with sticky rice. Som tam may be eaten several times a day. With Bar Girls it is almost a communal food with one making the purchase and several picking at it.
Preparation:
The Papaya is peeled than then shredded. The shredding is usually done with a sharp knife. The Papaya is held in one hand and hit repeatedly with the knife leaving long shallow cuts. When enough of these are done they are pared off leaving shredded strips. This process continues with the fruit being slowly turned till it reaches the seeded core. The seeds are not eaten in Som tam (though they are eaten in other dishes or as a worm cure).
Garlic, Sugar, Chilli, Beans and Tomatoes are ground with pestle and mortar and the resulting mix is then blended in with the Crabs, Lime Juice and the Papaya.
Some people will add herbs such as Coriander, Basil, Ginger or Tumeric.
Chili is yet another important part of the Som Tam ingredients. This hot little pepper is rich in A and C vitamins as well as bioflavinoids and brings with it a number of health giving properties.
Eating Chili's will help lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation and actually help you burn off fat. The Capsaicin in Chili's has been shown to be very effective in fighting off prostate cancer. It has been used to treat cancer in rats.
As part of the overall part of the Som tam mix the presence of Chili helps the body to absorb some of the health giving vitamins and minerals in the other ingredients.
Som Tam is Healthy eating
Som Tam is a tasty but very hot low calorie meal and is classed by some as one of the world's healthiest meals. Papaya is said to have rejuvenating effects and to actually slow down aging.
Green Papaya has approximately 8 calories per 28 grammes. Papaya is a good source of Vitamins C, E, A and B and has excellent antioxidant properties. Papaya has been shown to be helpful in the prevention of colon cancer, arthritis and to promote healing. Papaya helps prevent vision loss and the formation of bladder stones. The proteolytic enzymes in the fruit greatly aid digestion. The fibre in Papaya has been shown to lower high cholesterol levels and help those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. The health benefits of Papaya are best when the fruit is eaten green.
The fish sauce part of the Som Tam ingredients is in itself is a wonder food because not only does it add flavour and taste good but it is good for you as well. It is rich in protein and contains all the necessary amino acids along with B vitamins and essential beneficial nutrients.
Garlic is good for you. No question about it. It has long been looked upon as a wonder food. Garlic is a powerful antioxidant and a natural antibiotic. It even has anti-fungal properties. It was even used as an antiseptic to treat injuries during the first world war. Garlic in the diet will lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and help ward off heart disease. A garlic clove is rich in A, B and C vitamins as well as minerals including selenium, iodine, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc and magnesium.
Garlic was used by the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians and it even gets a mention in the Bible in Numbers 11: 4-6
If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!
The Lime juice in the Som tam is not simple a flavour but an important health food in its own right. Well known for the treatment and prevention of scurvy it will also aid digestion, prevent constipation and piles. Lime juice is well known to aid weight loss too. The Flavonoids in lime juice have anti oxidant, anti carcinogenic, antibiotic and detoxifying properties. The juice is also said to help prevent problems with the prostate and the urinary tract.
Tomatos are not only delicious when included in any meal but in Som tam they bring with them the proven anti-oxidant properties which can reduce the chance of prostate, lung and some other cancers and heart disease too. The tomato is one of the healthiest of all vegetables and should be included in all diets.
Being very low in calories but rich in vitamins and minerals the tomato is a sensible choice for anyone contemplating a weight loss diet.
The humble Green Bean may not look much but it too plays its part in the tremendous health giving properties of the Papaya Green Salad. Green Beans are a rich source of Vitamin C, A and K as well as magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, copper, calcium, phosphorus, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and niacin. The antioxidants in Green Beans help to prevent colon cancer and heart disease.
The inclusion of Ginger in Som tam is a personal choice but can only improve things as it can help digest fatty foods and break down proteins. It will also reduce inflammation and ward off some infections.
Coriander aids digestion, treats diarrhea and helps treat nausea, dysentery, hepatitis and colitis. It will help reduce fever and protects against urinary tract infections. It will lower chloresterol and protect against salmonella.
Sex
Som tam is not only a delicious food with an almost endless list of health benefits but it has other properties as well. Eating Som tam will help you lose weight too. What few people see to realise is that 8 of the ingredients that go towards making up a good Papaya Green Salad have aphrodisiac properties.
Green Papaya - Has long been known to increase female libido. Papaya is said to be estrogenic and acts as the female hormone estrogen. It has been used to promote menstruation and increase the flow of breast milk so there is a definite effect on women.
Garlic - Will stimulate blood circulation and could therefore enhance sexual performance in some. It has been shown to boost testosterone levels in rats. Garlic can help stimulate the production of nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme responsible for erections. It is said to stimulate desire in some.
Tomato - The tomato gets its name from 'love apple'. This however has no connection to the fact that the humble tomato has long been known to be an excellent aphrodisiac. Eating tomatos with regularity will increase sexual performance.
Chili- The Capsaicin in Chili's heats the body and releases endorphins and stimulates nerve endings. With the body heated up it raises the pulse rate. Chili has long been looked upon as an aphrodisiac.
Ginger - Warms up your body and increases blood flow around the body getting it to the parts where it is needed. Long known as an aphrodisiac.
Coriander - Has been known to be an aphrodisiac since ancient times. It was believed to be so potent in some countries that it was actually banned.
Crab - like oysters this delicious seafood is very rich in zinc which stimulates the prostate and helps with sperm production.
Peanuts - Are extremely rich in Vitamin E, the 'sex' vitamin. A popular aphrodisiac drink in Jamaica has a peanut base.
Som tam is an Aphrodisiac cocktail!!