146 | Culture Ways of Life and Wisdom
Tom Yum
The Colorful Flavor of Thai Soup
Tom Yum has a comprehensive quality of both delectable taste and aroma. It is a harmonization
of four tastes: sour, hot, salty, and sweet. Fresh herbal scent enhances the taste of meats such as fish,
shrimp, chicken and beef which are the main ingredients become more flavorful. Hot Tom Yum served with
hot steamed rice is a smooth sensation.
Tom Yum, is a type of Thai soup made by two cooking methods including “Tom” and “Yum”. “Tom”
refers to a boiling process, while “Yum” refers to a mix of spicy and sour tastes. Through the boiling process,
bone broth is used as the main element of Tom Yum. Then, the broth is seasoned with lemon juice, fish
soup and sugar to get hot and sour flavor. Fragrant spices and herbs including kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass,
galangal, and fresh chilli is the main ingredients of Tom Yum. There are multiple kinds of meats that can be
added to the Tom Yum, but the authentic Thai Tom Yum is a clear fish soup for example; climbing perch
fish, snakehead fish which can be easily found in the Central lowland.
“The uniqueness of Tom Yum
soup is the diversity of tastes—
hot and sour—and a great herbal
scent of lemongrass, kaffir lime
leaves, galangal, lime and fresh
chilli in the soup.”
• Tom Yum Snakehead
Fish Soup (Tom Yum
Plachon)