Nham Sơn

''Naem'' ( th, แหนม, lo, ແໜມ, , also referred to as ''nam'', ''nham'', ''naem moo'', ''som moo'', ''naem maw'', ''chin som'') is a pork sausage in Lao and Thai cuisine. It is a fermented food that has a sour flavor. It has a short shelf life, and is often eaten in raw form after the fermentation process has occurred. It is a popular Southeast Asian food, and different regions of Southeast Asia have various preferred flavors, including variations of sour and spicy. ''Naem'' is used as an ingredient in various dishes and is also served as a side dish.

''Naem'' contains 185 kilocalories per and contains a significant amount of protein, a moderate amount of fat, and minor carbohydrate content. Parasites and enteropathogenic bacteria have been found in samples of ''naem''. Lactic acid formed during its fermentation inhibits the growth of ''Salmonella''. ''Lactobacillus curvatus'' use in the product has been proven to prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria in ''naem''. It is sometimes irradiated to kill off parasites and pathogens. The bacterial content in Thai sour pork products is regulated.

Overview

''Naem'' is a red-colored, semi-dry lactic- fermented pork sausage in Southeast Asian cuisine prepared using minced raw pork and pork skin, significant amounts of cooked sticky rice, chili peppers, garlic, sugar, salt and potassium nitrate. Minced beef is sometimes used in its preparation. After the mix is prepared, it is encased in banana leaves, synthetic sausage casings or tubular plastic bags and left to ferment for three to five days. ''Naem'' has a sour quality to it due to the fermentation, in which lactic acid bacteria and yeasts grow within the sausage. The lactic acid bacteria and yeasts expand by feeding upon the rice and sugar, and the use of salt prevents the meat from rotting.

Naem typically has a short shelf life, which can be extended through refrigeration. The sausage can be time-consuming and labor-intensive to prepare. It is typically stored at room temperature, which gives it a shelf life of around one week. It is produced all over Southeast Asia in slight variations.

''Naem'' is often consumed raw, (after fermentation has occurred), and is often accompanied with shallot, ginger, bird's eye chili peppers and spring onions. It is used as an ingredient in various dishes such as ''naem'' fried with eggs, '' Naem khao'' and ''Naem phat wun sen sai khai'', and is also consumed as a side dish and as a condiment. The cooking of ''naem'' significantly changes its flavor.

Prominence

''Naem'' has been described in Thailand as "one of the popular meat products of the country prepared from ground pork" and as "one of the most popular traditional Thai fermented meat products".

Varieties

Different regions of Thailand have different preferred flavors: northern and northeastern pork is a little bit sour, central is sour, and southern is spicy. ''Naem mo'' in northern Thailand may be fermented in a clay pot.

In Laos, fermented sour pork with shredded pork skin is known as som moo (sour pork). Some som moo variations also incorporate garlic and chilli peppers. Luang Prabang som moo is very popular because of its unique texture and a tasty sour flavor. Som moo can be enjoyed both as a side-dish with sticky rice, or as an ingredient for Lao crispy rice salad Nam Khao.

Use in dishes

Dishes prepared with ''naem'' include ''naem'' fried with eggs, and ''naem'' fried rice. ''Naem phat wun sen sai khai'' is a dish prepared with ''naem'', glass noodles and eggs, among other ingredients such as spring onions and red pepper. ''Nam Khao'' is a salad dish in Lao cuisine prepared using Lao fermented pork sausage, rice, coconut, peanuts, mint, cilantro, fish sauce, and lemon juice. ''Naem'' and rice are formed into balls, deep-fried, and then served broken atop the various ingredients. Serenade, a restaurant in Bangkok, makes a dish called the "McNaem", which consists of a duck egg wrapped in ''naem'' that is fried and then served with risotto, slaw, shiitake mushrooms, herbs, and cooked sea scallops atop crushed garlic.

There are many applications of sour pork with different flavors such as ''phat phet naem'' ( th, ผัดเผ็ดแหนม), ''tom kha naem'' ( th, ต้มข่าแหนม), ''ho mok naem'' ( th, ห่อหมกแหนม), and ''naem priao wan'' ( th, แหนมเปรี้ยวหวาน).

File:Chin som mok.JPG, alt=Chin som mok is a speciality of northern Thailand and is the northern Thai version of naem sausage, ''Chin som mok'' – a speciality of northern Thailand, it is the northern Thai version of ''naem'' sausage
File:Khua chin som sai khai.JPG, alt=Khua chin som sai khai is a dish prepared with dry-fried pickled pork and egg. Chin som is the northern Thai name for naem., ''Khua chin som sai khai'' – a dish prepared with dry-fried pickled pork and egg. ''Chin som'' is the northern Thai name for ''naem''
File:Yam naem.JPG, alt=Yam naem is a Thai salad prepared with naem and other ingredients., ''Nam Khao'' – a Laotian salad prepared with ''naem'' and other ingredients
File:Phat naem sai khai.jpg, alt=Phat naem sai khai is a dish consisting of naem stir-fried with egg., ''Phat naem sai khai'' – ''naem'' stir fried with egg

Nutritional content

A serving size of of ''naem'' has 185 kilocalories, protein, fat, and carbohydrate. According to the "Industrialization of Thai Nham" by Warawut Krusong of the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang vitamins B1 and B2, ferric iron, and phosphorus were present in naem, quantities unspecified.

Microbiology

''Naem'' has on occasion been contaminated with parasites such as ''Taenia solium'', ''Trichinella spiralis'', and enteropathogenic bacteria such as coliform bacteria and ''Salmonella''. It has been demonstrated that ''Salmonella'' growth is inhibited by the formation of lactic acid during the Fermentation in food processing, fermentation process. Use of the starter culture ''Lactobacillus curvatus'' has been shown to prevent "the outgrowth of pathogenic bacteria" in ''naem''. ''Naem'' is sometimes irradiated.

Regulations on bacterial content

The bacterial content in Thai sour pork products is regulated. There should not be more than of ''Escherichia coli O157:H7'', ''Staphylococcus aureus'' not more than , ''Yersinia enterocolitica'' not more than , ''Listeria monocytogenes'' not more than , ''Clostridium perfringens'' not more than , Fungi less than 10colony per gram, ''Trichinellaspiralis'' less than . Bacteria at higher levels may cause sickness.

See also

* List of fermented foods
* List of sausages
* ''Sai krok Isan'' – a fermented sausage originating in the northeastern provinces of Thailand
* ''Sai ua'' – a grilled pork sausage from northern Thailand and northeastern Burma
* ''Nem chua''

References

Bibliography

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Further reading

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{{sausage

Thai sausages