The cuisine of Laos has absorbed the best traditions of Vietnam, Cambodia, but more of Thailand. Lao people prefer to eat sharp and bitter meals, which, in their opinion, favorably affect not only the body, but also the spirit.
What do they eat in Laos?
Like all food, food in Laos has some special features:
- Most of the dishes include rice . It is prepared in various ways: boiled in water and steamed, fried, and made noodles. But most of all, locals like sticky rice, which is usually eaten by hand, seasoning with various sauces.
- For the cuisine of Laos is characterized by a large number of fresh vegetables : eggplants, tomatoes, cabbage, spinach, cassava.
- Also, traditional dishes are difficult to imagine without a huge amount of spices : coriander, aromatic peppermint, hot pepper, ginger and galangal.
- The local chefs replaced the salt with Nam pa fish sauce and Padaek paste , which are used in the preparation of fish dishes.
- Lao people eat very little meat , most often beef, pork, poultry. More rarely - buffalo and meat of wild animals (lizards, squirrels, ducks).
- Even less often, local people eat seafood . This was influenced by the fact that Laos has no access to the sea.
- Favorite and inexpensive dishes are considered different soups .
- Laos adore bread and its various derivatives: sandwiches, toasts, sweet rolls.
- Resting in this picturesque country, you can taste a lot of exotic dishes. The most extravagant one can call fried rats .
What is worth trying?
The menu of major Laotian restaurants is full of all kinds of food, but the following dishes are considered to be particularly revered:
- a salad "There mak hung" - it is based on green papaya, tomatoes, nuts flavored with garlic, hot pepper, lime juice and Nam pa sauce. Is an excellent addition to dishes from rice;
- "Laap" - large pieces of meat or fish, pickled in freshly squeezed lime juice and dressed with garlic, chili, peppermint, herbs and fragrant herbs;
- "Som-mo" - traditional Lao sausage;
- "Hiring Nuang" is another popular salad. It is a mixture of meat, vegetables, herbs wrapped in rice pancakes;
- spicy soup "Lam" - full of meat and all kinds of spices;
- chicken "Kai-Lao" - stuffed with a filling of rice and seasoned with fragrant cinnamon;
- fish dish "Sousi-pop" - fried on coconut milk river fish;
- "Kya-namuan" - bananas, soaked in milk from coconut.
Local sweets
You will not find desserts that are customary for the whole world in any restaurant in Laos. Delicacies of the indigenous population are absolutely unswerving, their basis is glutinous rice, supplemented with coconut milk or mango. However, everywhere you can find delicious pastries, which became popular during the colonization of France. Street vendors should buy rice cookies, fruit jelly, ice cream.
In addition to baking, locals love to eat fruits that are better to buy in large markets. Here you will find both processed and simply laid pineapples, mangoes, oranges, bananas, watermelons, dragon eyes, melons, tangerines, and much more on trays. The range and prices depend on the season.
Than quench your thirst?
Residents of Laos prefer to drink us a juice from freshly squeezed fruits, as well as cervical melon and watermelon necks, supplemented with condensed milk, coconut and cane juice. Drinks are cooled with ice.
We love everywhere and Lao coffee grown in the Paksong area. The varieties of Robusta and Arabica are especially popular. This drink is served hot and cold, adding sugar and cream. No less common is green tea. Different grades, methods of preparation, ceremonies will satisfy even the most experienced connoisseurs of this drink.
Speaking about alcohol-containing beverages, it should be noted rice vodka Lao-lao, rice wine Lao-hai and local beer - BeerLao. They can be found on the festive tables of local residents only on special occasions, on holidays .
Where to eat in Laos?
Problems with the choice of a restaurant or a cafe will not be. Large cities and tourist centers offer a huge range of food items. Their visitors should know that a dinner for two will cost only $ 4-5. But do not forget about the elementary rules of hygiene, because cooked food and water do not always meet the sanitary standards.