What are the famous food in Laos? Laos is known as a country with rich culture, where the focus and convergence of cultural beauty, but hidden in it is unique cultural characteristics and bold traditional cultural identity. The culinary culture has contributed to the development of a Lao culture with unique characteristics that are similar but not overwhelmed with other cultures in the region.
In the culinary culture of the world, Laos considered as the country of many delicious dishes, from the food of ordinary people to the fancy dishes to serve important festivals.
Lao cuisine characterized by capturing the most exquisite flavors from the simple ingredients, the unique blend that makes the dishes rustic. Lao food cannot be too complex or have diverse ingredients such as famous dishes in neighboring countries – Thailand, China and Vietnam but always considered fresh and creative. Lao cuisine impressed by the freshness of the food and the combination of natural spices in each dish. The process is not fussy but creates frugal dishes with different and unique taste.
Like many other countries in the region, the cuisine of Laos is equally diverse, typically three characteristic flavors: sour, spicy and sweet have “combined” to make up the soul and color private color in the cuisine of the Lao people. Let’s explore the most famous food in Laos.
1) Laab (Larb)
Laab is a traditional cuisine that quite famous food in Laos many diners love when coming to the beautiful country – Laos. The main ingredient we need to prepare Laab are lean minced meat, we can use beef, chicken, duck meat, or pork. Lean meat after chopped mixed with liver, heart also chopped, along with spices such as lemon juice, galangal, lemongrass, chili, and herbs. Laab in Lao means luck. This is a latent food of great significance in the life of the people of Laos, expressing the ambition of the people here to live a happy life. The laab is eaten with coriander and fresh lemongrass to add flavor to the dish. The Lao people eat rare Laab so that they can feel the special taste. One of the unforgettable highlights of the Lao cuisine is the hot spicy, with a very attractive aroma. Especially, this dish does not use any kind of fat and oil, so you can assure that you will not get fat. Usually in Laos, laab will serve with white smooth and delicious steamed sticky rice.
2) Khao Niaw (Sticky Rice)
Glutinous rice used mainly for cooking sticky rice, and Lao sticky rice is the traditional dish of people here that is also famous food in Laos. To cook sticky rice, the Lao people do not use the usual cooking method, but they cook with a kind of strange steamer. This type of steamer shaped like a kettle, made of aluminum; above is a basket knitted by bamboo. When cooking is finished, leave the sticky rice into a basket to be dry. In addition, the Lao sticky rice is cooked in a traditional way, then put in the bamboo tube and cooked with water.
3) Green Papaya Salad (Tam mak houng)
Coming to Laos, diners will enjoy delicious traditional papaya salad, the Lao people make green papaya salad with fish sauce and many other foods. In the list of famous food in Laos, Green papaya salad combined with sticky rice, chicken or pork grilled to make a delicious meal. Papaya is cut into strand before being processed. The papayas are not too green and not too ripe. After that, the Lao people mix papaya with fish sauce, garlic, chili, lemon, tomato and some eggplants in the mortar, then pound slightly, so that papaya is soaked in spices. This dish is attractive to customers thanks to the crispy, spicy and aromatic fish sauce smell. Most restaurants and eateries in Laos offer this dish.
4) Sai Oua (Grilled Sausage)
Sai Oua (Lao grilled sausage) is quite similar to the famous type of other countries. Pork is grinded smoothly, add lemon grass, lemon leaves, chili and galangal, before stuffing. You can see the sausages sold on the road or sold in the market. You can eat this dish with Nam Cheo Chili sauce and sticky rice. This is a top choice when there is not too much processing time for a family meal, which provides adequate nutrition as well as energy needed for the body.
5) Khao Jee
Khao Jee (Baguette) is considered one of the most famous food in Laos. Crispy bread filled with bacon, liverwurst, butter, herbs … or served with pork dumplings and omelet. Due to the long time of French colonial period, French cuisine is also popular in Laos, and be found easily everywhere, particularly in restaurants in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Especially, French crispy bread or baguette is a popular dish of Lao people. Lao people often dip baguette in milk coffee to eat, or eat with fried eggs or stuff like sandwich. Khao Jee is considered one of the indispensable dishes in the list of must-try food, as well as one of the ideal choices to ensure a full and delicious breakfast.
6) Sien savanh
The dried beef of the Laotians is quite simple. After picking fresh beef pieces, beef is marinated with soy sauce, chili, pepper and some other types so that the beef is soaked then boil beef. The meat is delicious, tough with the combination of spicy chili, the sweetness of the meat and the salty taste of sea salt always makes people enjoy just want to eat again and again. Beef is cooked and then dried for several days. This dish is sold at many sidewalk shops. When you want to enjoy dried beef, you just tear the meat into thin strand and then try it. Sipping a cup of wine with dried beef is really perfect and fantastic. If you like, you can also buy as a gift to your friends and relatives. Dried beef brings unforgettable and delicious flavor for you from the first time enjoy.
7) Grilled fish
One of the specialties that tourists cannot ignore is the seafood that is the product of the river. Grilled fish is mainly the fish of the Mekong River with a simple processing, but always considered the best dish among the dishes. Fish to make grilled fish is about a half of kg, must be fresh, usually the fish from rivers and streams like carp and amur.
After initial processing, people clean, remove the intestines of fish, then add salt in about 10-15 minutes, then grill fish to the fresh bamboo bar to grill directly on charcoal. The fish is cooked and fragrant, people use claw stripe along the fish, the fish is removed intact, not broken. Since the fish was salted before baking, so when cooked, baked fish skin is not covered with a layer of salt, fish does not stick to the skin and fish is very fragrant. Grilled fish served with vegetables and can be added with fish sauce or salt. Beside the vegetables, you can eat fish with grilled rice, sticky rice to feel the full sweetness of fish, the piquancy of chili, and the aroma of spices.
8) Khao Piak Sen (Lao rice noodles)
For many visitors who have been traveling Vietnam, when first seen, visitors will feel Lao noodles is similar to pho in Vietnam. However, when you have the opportunity to enjoy, you will see Lao rice noodles having a slightly different taste. The noodles are softer, and the colors are slightly grayish. The broth is opaque slightly, not clear totally, and there is no smell of spices such as salmon, cinnamon, ginger, … Vegetables also contain live cowpea and pickles from carrots, chayote … Some people think that Lao rice noodles is easy to eat with good nutrition, but also something light and close. To prepare broth for Laos noodles, people just bones and the water is so light that when the customer can add spices including sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, dried chilli, … The Lao people have many variations to adapt to the diverse taste of the Lao people. This is also a famous food in Laos
9) Beer Lao
Beer Lao has not been brewed from barley, but from jasmine rice, with the unique taste. Beer Lao was born in 1973, and has become the top selling beer brand in Laos, Beer Lao, occupies over 98% of the beer market in Laos. Beer Lao has two main types: Black beer 6.5% (like fresh beer) and Yellow beer (Light Beer) 5%, reserved for women.
Beer Lao has been produced by technology of Carlsberg, Denmark. With the characteristic aroma, Beer Lao will have better savour when chilled, rather than drinking with ice. However, with high concentration, beer should be drinking with ice if the drinking capacity of visitors is not good. At the water festivals of the Lao, beside the parties bearing community spirit, Beer Lao is an indispensable drink for both men and women. Beer Lao is a part of the culinary culture of Laos, it is not only the spirit of national pride, but because of its intrinsic value for taste, health and nutrition. Beer Lao has been exported to many countries around the world including the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, …
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