Sticky Rice: The Heart & Soul of Lao Cuisine Laos is a country known for its stunning landscapes, rich culture, and vibrant cuisine. Among the many culinary delights that define Lao food, sticky rice stands out as a staple that holds both cultural and gastronomical significance. Known in Lao language as “khao niew,” it is more than just a side dish; it’s an integral part of a Lao identity that has been cultivated for centuries. Contents Toggle Lao Food – If you love food, you’ll love Laos! Sticky Rice Fish Lao Dipping Sauces (jeows) Head-to-Tail Eating BBQ Bee Larvae and Fried Crick ..read more

One of the best places to get started eating Lao street food in Luang Prabang is the morning market. It’s low-key, relaxing, the vendors are incredibly friendly, and there’s so much delicious food to try. From wild grilled beehive (yes really!) and honey to khao piak sen noodles, the food is so good – but its just the start of a culinary adventure in Luang Prabang. The post Street Food Tour of Luang Prabang with Mark Weins appeared first on Love Laos ..read more

Lucky Laab: A Brief History of Lao’s Beloved Dish A Brief History of Laab Laab (Lao: ລາບ) is a type of meat salad from Laos and is one of the country’s national dishes, along with green papaya salad and sticky rice. Considered Laos’ traditional party dish, a sort of “Lao tartar steak” (1), laab is also eaten in other Southeast Asian countries where the Lao people have migrated and extended their influence. Early Europeans traveling through Laos in the 1800s described laab as Lao people’s favorite dish— a mixture of chopped shallots or scallions, lemongrass leaves, ferm ..read more

The First LaoSafe Restaurants in Laos The LaoSafe programme is a health and hygiene programme being implemented by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism in Laos with the goals of setting consistent, quality standards for businesses to follow, especially in relation to Covid-19 protocols.  Businesses have access to training, and are individually assessed to ensure understanding and compliance with these guidelines in order to become accredited as LaoSafe restaurants. The following are some of the first restaurants to be approved under this programme, and should be a priority cho ..read more

The Culture of Lao Food This article about the Culture of Lao Food seeks to show how food can bring us together. To better understand a culture, look at how people eat.  Nowhere is this more true than in Laos, where food is a communal activity that brings people together. Sticky Rice Days start early as sticky rice, that has been soaking overnight, is cooked along with a range of dishes. Traditionally the food is cooked over an open flame, fueled by a tree branch that gets pushed along as the end burns away. In a country which has known real hunger, people want to be able to offer you foo ..read more

Foodie Experiences in Laos Laos is a foodie’s paradise, especially for those looking to add an experiential flavour into the mix. Ever had a yearning to milk a buffalo, plant rice in paddy fields or to harvest your own coffee beans while learning and enjoying the fruits of your labour? Then Laos is the place for you! Vientiane In Vientiane, you can find restaurants to suit every taste and budget, from the cheap and cheerful and very filling bowl of Khao Piak, a noodle soup that will set you up for the day, to the high-end Indochinese fusion food of 3 Merchants. From delightful French cuisine a ..read more

When the French arrived in Laos, many were taken by the laid-back lifestyle available in this land so far from home. And as they settled into this country, they started to explore the possibility of growing coffee on the cool Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos. They were in luck. Volcanic eruptions, long since over, had left fabulous soil behind, just perfect for growing a really good cup of coffee. So in the early years of the 20th Century, with Arabica and Robusta plants from Saigon’s botanic gardens, coffee was being grown. Today, Laos is becoming known for that coffee, first started all thos ..read more

Laos is an amazing country for food lovers, and there’s no better way to start sampling street food than to visit a local market in Vientiane. Follow Mark on a trip to Khua Din Market – one of the most bustling morning markets in Vientiane. You’ll discover an ocean of fresh ingredients available from the early hours. But for cooked food, Mark finds some of the best stalls in the tented section at the back of the market – there you’ll find a few stalls serving all things Lao food – a place to have a Lao sticky rice feast. The post Exploring Street Food in Vientiane with Mark Weins appeared firs ..read more