ACH뉴스레터-Lao Food Culture: Where East and West Coexist

Lao Food Culture: Where East and West Coexist

Life in ASEAN

Lao Food Culture:
Where East and West Coexist

Written by Joo Jong-chan
(Professor of the Food Franchise Department at Kyungnam University)

Lao PDR, located in the heart of Southeast Asia, borders China and Myanmar to the north, Thailand and Cambodia to the west and Viet Nam to the east. It is a landlocked country without sea access, and therefore, its 1,500-kilometer section of the 4,880-kilometer-long Mekong River, which originates from the Tibet Autonomous Region, is a rich lifeline for people here. Main tourist destinations include the capital city of Vientiane; Luang Prabang, once the center of the kingdom before the capital’s relocation and a place where East and West coexist; and Vang Vieng, a town of water.

The food culture of Lao PDR was heavily influenced by its neighboring countries. Coriander is a popular ingredient, just like in other Southeast Asian cuisines, and rice noodle soups, stir-fried noodles, meat or rice, and barbecue are typical Lao dishes, often followed by desserts made with tropical fruits. Lao people’s staple food is rice. For a typical meal, they roll glutinous rice, or “Khao Niao,” into a bite-sized shape and eat it with “Larb.” Larb is a stir-fried meat salad that mixes minced chicken or pork with lemon grass, mint, coriander, green onions, and other ingredients. It is flavored with lime juice and fish sauce. “Tam Maak Hoong,” a spicy green papaya salad mixed with “Padaek,” a condiment made of pickled or fermented small fish, is quite addictive and well suited to Koreans’ tastes.

< Fig 1 > Sindat, a harmony of meat and vegetables

You can often see Lao home-cooked dishes being sold at traditional markets or street stalls. They may not be fancy, but they are easy to eat and inexpensive. French-influenced baguette sandwiches are filled with Lao papaya salad, a variety of vegetables and meat patties, eggs, ham and tomatoes, as well as the traditional Lao sausage, “Sai Oua.” Lao barbecue, or “Sindat” (Photo 1), is a particularly interesting dish. The griddle somewhat resembles a dome-shaped hat with a deep brim. Whereas the meat is grilled on the top, the juices flow down the iron griddle and mix with the broth and vegetables in the “brim,” thus enhancing the flavor. The dish is also called “Sindat Kaolee,” Kaolee for Korean, because many Korean tourists enjoy it.

< Fig 2 > Pakao, a set of traditional Lao dishes

In Vientiane, I visited the Kualao Restaurant, a renowned local restaurant that opened in 1994, to taste traditional Lao dishes. If you order the “Pakao” set menu (Photo 2), you can enjoy 12 traditional Lao dishes made with fresh local ingredients, including “Kao Gum,” purple sticky rice, “Or Lam Moo,” a soupy stew, and “Yor Jeun,” fried spring rolls similar to Chinese “Zha Chun Juan.” All dishes are beautifully arranged on a rattan platter, allowing you to savor the beauty of traditional Lao food culture.

Lao PDR is also famous for its rice noodles. The ox bone rice noodle soup of the southwestern Champasak Province is a spicy variant, as chili oil is added to the otherwise clear soup. Vientiane’s ox bone rice noodle soup is particularly popular, both with locals and travelers. Before the noodles are served, bean stalks, lime and Thai basil are served with a soybean paste-like condiment called “Suki,” which is used like a salad dressing. The rice noodles are added into a broth made of ox bone and beef shank and topped with meat slices. To Koreans, it tastes familiar, perhaps because of the suki dressing.

The kindness and unpretentiousness of the Lao people are evident in their food here. After experiencing it, I better understood the Mekong River’s significance, for it is not only beautiful but also nurtures the many herbs and vegetables used in Lao cuisine.

The content of this article may differ from the editorial direction of the ASEAN Culture House Monthly.