Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)

Northeastern Thailand's signature dish -- shredded unripe papaya pounded in a clay mortar with garlic, palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, dried shrimp, and chili -- is the most consumed dish in Thailand by volume. The Isaan (northeastern) version uses pla ra (fermented fish sauce) for a funky depth, while the central Thai version uses fish sauce only -- a regional distinction that divides Thailand as sharply as pizza styles divide Italy.