The dish exemplifies bold, vibrant flavors, blending sour, spicy, salty, and sweet elements, and holds deep cultural significance in Laos.

[9][10][11][12][13][14] Beyond Laos and Thailand, green papaya salad has also gained regional prominence across continental Southeast Asia, including Cambodia,[15] Myanmar,[16] and Vietnam,[17] as well as Xishuangbanna (China).

Regional variations and names include: Papayas and chili peppers were introduced to Southeast Asia by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 17th century from the Americas in the Columbian Exchange.

[18] Simon de la Loubère (1642-1729), a French diplomat, mentioned in his book that the cultivation of papaya was already widespread in Siam in 1693.

Likewise, the hot flavour also spread to Isan and Laos from Central Thailand, which had been introduced to chilli peppers first.

This recipe is similar to som tam as prepared today and includes roasted peanuts and dried shrimp as key ingredients.

[41][40][38][42] The dish combines the five main basic tastes: the sourness of the lime, spiciness of the chili, saltiness and savoriness of the fish sauce, and sweetness of palm sugar.

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.

A non-spicy green papaya salad version 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.

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.