Laos "Southeast Asia?s most pristine environment"

1. 60 Hotels in Laos
   Book your Hotel in Laos online. No reservation costs. Great rates.
   Booking.com/Laos-Hotels
2. Laos Hotels
   Special rates at Laos Hotels. Don't miss out, book now!
   Agoda.co.uk/Laos_Hotels

Food Guide - Dining Out in Laos

Lao cuisine is very similar to the food eaten in the north-eastern Isaan region of Thailand, being spicy, more often bitter than sweet and using lots of fresh herbs and vegetables served raw. The staple here is sticky rice eaten by hand from small baskets called tip khao.

The national dish is laap, a "salad" of minced meat mixed with herbs, spices, lime juice and more often than not, blistering amounts of chilli. Unlike Thai larb, the Lao version can use raw meat (dip) instead of cooked meat (suk), and if prepared with seafood makes a tasty if spicy carpaccio.

Another favourite is tam maak hung, the spicy green papaya salad known as som tam in Thailand, but which the Lao like to dress with fermented crab and a chunky, intense fish sauce called pa daek This mixture results in a stronger flavour than the milder, sweeter Thai style. Other popular dishes include ping kai, spicy grilled chicken, and mok pa, fish steamed in a banana leaf. In addition to purely Lao food, culinary imports from other countries are common. Khao jii pat-te, French baguettes stuffed with pâté, and foe (pho) noodles from Vietnam are both snacks particularly popular at breakfast.