Food Of Laos

SE Asian cultures - Laos Food

Author:

China Odyssey Tours

Lao  cuisine is very different from the cuisines of other SE Asian cultures and has features which it does not generally share with its neighbours. The Lao food tradition does not belong only to the country of Laos, but to the ethnic Lao people many of whom are inhabitants of Northern Thailand (the Isaan). Indeed, Thailand has more Lao people than Laos! As a result, Lao food is well known, and popular, throughout Thailand and especially in Bangkok.

The main difference in Lao food is a fondness for raw foods which are shunned in other parts of the region. The most famous dish in Lao cuisine is \'laap\', a spicy mixture of marinated meat and/or fish mixed with lime juice, garlic, chilli pepper, onion and mint. The meat and fish are often served raw, although cooked versions (laap suk ) are also available. Meals are often accompanied by heaps of fresh raw greens, vegetables and herbs on the side. Salads are also popular and the most well known is tam som, a spicy salad made of green papaya with chillis, garlic, tomatoes, ground peanuts, field crab, lime juice and fish sauce.

Flavourings include lime juice, lemon grass and fresh coriander as well as a wide variety of herbs. Unlike in surrounding countries, there is a heavy use of mint and dill in Lao cooking. Salt is derived mostly from fermented fish sauce.

Being land-locked, Laos depends on rivers for its fish. The Mekong  dominates Laos and supplies most of its fish. Sadly, many species have been wiped out by over-fishing. Chicken, duck, pork, beef are also widely available. In the northern countryside, pangolin, monitor lizard, civet, wild dogs and field rats are also eaten.

Almost every meal is accompanied by sticky (glutinous) rice, klao niaw. The locals gather together a ball of this rice and dip it into one of a number of condiments or eat it plain. Workers in the fields carry a small pouch containing some sticky rice and a little meat to make their mid-day meal.

Lao people are fond of bitter foods and kaeng jeut, a mild soup with minced pork and bitter gourd, is a popular dish. Other popular dishes include \'or lam\' from Luang Prabang which is a spicy green stew with wood ear mushrooms, eggplant, yard long beans, meat, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, sweet basil, and chillies. Dried buffalo meat and crisp-fried pork skin are often added.

Despite their gastronomic independence, one of the most popular foods in Laos is actually Vietnamese. They have their own version of pho (feu in Lao), the famous Vietnamese dish of rice noodles in soup. Here, it is served with meatballs and each customer adds his preferred amount of fish sauce, chilli sauce or even sugar. This is available in snack shacks all over the country and is often the only dish on offer in out of the way places. Chinese food is also common and the Lao people have adopted the technique of stir-frying.

The French colonists also made their mark on the cuisine of Laos and a popular breakfast, especially in Vientiane, is French bread, khao jii which is freshly baked each day and served with pâté, fried eggs and omelette. Alternatively, it is easy to find croissants in Vientiane. These can be enjoyed with a cup of the excellent local coffee. You can visit Indochina Odyssey Tours to get more information about Laos.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/se-asian-cultures-laos-food-2812979.html

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Indochina Odyssey Tours - Your trustworthy Indochina Vietnam tour operator since 1987. Personalized and worry-free service in tours, hotels and tickets in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.

Lao Food