Fish or beef fermented with rice and salt until sour, kept in jars and then fried with pork. Unlike prahok, which is a seasoning, mam is treated as a dish in its own right and is served as the centre of a meal.
It is a months-long ambient ferment of raw protein in a sealed jar, kept safe by hitting a salt and acidity balance that has no reliable domestic gauge.
What goes into it
- freshwater fish or beef
- cooked rice
- palm sugar
- salt
- sometimes roasted rice powder
How it is made
The fish or meat is salted heavily for several days, drained, then packed into jars in layers with cooked rice and palm sugar. The rice sugars feed lactic bacteria, which acidify the jar over weeks to months, and the resulting sourness is what preserves it. It is fried before eating.
How long it takes: several weeks to several months in the jar
How it is eaten
Fried with pork belly, chilli and lemongrass, eaten with rice and raw vegetables.
History
A Khmer preserve distinct from prahok, kept in jars and treated as a dish rather than a seasoning.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mam?
Mam is a fermented & pickled from Cambodia: fish or beef fermented with rice and salt until sour, then fried with pork. A Khmer preserve distinct from prahok, kept in jars and treated as a dish rather than a seasoning.
How is Mam made?
The fish or meat is salted heavily for several days, drained, then packed into jars in layers with cooked rice and palm sugar. The rice sugars feed lactic bacteria, which acidify the jar over weeks to months, and the resulting sourness is what preserves it. It is fried before eating. It takes several weeks to several months in the jar.
Can I make Mam at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a months-long ambient ferment of raw protein in a sealed jar, kept safe by hitting a salt and acidity balance that has no reliable domestic gauge.
What goes into Mam?
Freshwater fish or beef, cooked rice, palm sugar, salt, sometimes roasted rice powder.
How is Mam eaten?
Fried with pork belly, chilli and lemongrass, eaten with rice and raw vegetables.
