Typical Laotian Dishes - What to Eat in Laos

Laos, the land of millions of elephants, offers many intriguing things to see and do and is a popular stopover for many travelers. By visiting Laos, you will be able to see notable historical sites, gorgeous temples, and the world's cultural treasures of the old city of Luang Prabang. Equally intriguing is the entire Laos specialty-food wonderland that awaits your discovery.

1. Dishes made with insects

Laos is one of the Southeast Asian countries with the highest consumption of insect dishes. On the market corners, locusts, ants, scorpions, crickets, and other insects are fried, fried, and grilled. When visiting Laos, test your bravery with Lao specialties made from insects! We guarantee you will not be disappointed!

2. Mok Pa - Steamed Fish in Banana Leaves

Steamed fish is a popular meal in many countries, but it is made in a unique style in Laos. Fresh fish filets are filtered, sliced into little pieces, and mixed with herbs, onions, garlic, and chile. After that, the fish mixture is wrapped in steamed banana leaves. This meal is available at almost every restaurant.

Read more: Laotian Food: Top 10 Traditional Foods to Tempt Your Taste Buds

3. Laap/Larb - The signature dish of Laos

This is a popular meal that you must have if you visit Laos. This Lao dish may be found at every restaurant in the land of millions of elephants. The meal is made using chicken, hog, beef, duck, and other components. This dish is also served in certain places using deer meat. Before cooking, the meats are combined with hearing, herbs, chili, and spices. Laap complements sticky rice and raw veggies.

4. Tam maak hung - papaya salad

Tam maak hung papaya salad is unique in Laos since you create it there rather than buying it ready-made, ensuring that the flavor is always fresh. The same ingredients and spices as in Thai papaya salad are used, however, the Lao people use moderate power to smash the papaya fibers without shattering them and soaking up the spices. The fish sauce used to combine the mannequin has a pungent odor, but once tasted, you will never forget it.

5. Sien Savanh - dried beef

If you're seeking Lao delicacies to give as presents, dried beef is the first option. Laotian dried beef is marinated in soy sauce, garlic, chile, palm sugar, pepper, oyster sauce, and other ingredients. When fresh meat is steeped in spices, it is brought to a boil and then dried in the sun for many days.

6. Sai Oua Kuang - Laotian Sausage

In addition to dried meat, Lao sausage is an excellent gift. This meal is created with fresh pork but differs from Vietnamese sausage in that it includes lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal, and chili peppers. Sausages are dried and sold in a variety of markets and specialized shops. When eating, diners cut them into slices and dip them with jeow chili sauce.

7. Khao Poon Noodles

Khao Poon noodles are made from fermented rice, which is then cooked to form a dough-like consistency and squeezed through a mold to form the noodle shape. They have a somewhat acidic taste and go well with noodle salads with tomatoes, mung bean paste, chile, salt, and sugar. Another famous variety of Khao Poon Noodles is a soup broth with chicken, pig, or fish with fish sauce, lime leaves, garlic, shallots, and Lao chilies - all for taste. This meal is fairly easy to obtain at your local market for a full breakfast, street food carts, night markets, and restaurants. 

8. Khao Piak Sen – Laos Chicken Noodle Soup

Khao Piak Sen is a type of Lao noodle soup with layers of taste that can be found on nearly every street corner in Laos. This is a delicious chicken broth with noodles and a variety of toppings such as fried garlic, shallots, lemongrass, lime leaves, chili, and cilantro that allow guests to personalize their bowls to their liking. Instead of meat or pork, serve this soup with a handful of greens and other veggies. This dish can even be served with a few innards such as heart, liver, and tongue in the local style. This is a good option for a quick yet excellent supper.

9. Ping Gai – Laotian Grilled Chicken

Laotian grilled chicken, also known as ping gai, is a delectable meal that represents Lao characteristics. Its inspired recipe calls for a marinade of soy, fish, and oyster sauce, freshly ground black pepper, sesame oil, and a touch of cayenne pepper on the chicken. The longer you cook it, the greater the flavors of the chicken will emerge. What a lovely lunch with sticky rice and a bowl of green papaya salad.

10. Handmade Chocolates 

Chocolate Dream by Mikaël - a handcrafted chocolate brand - is another Laos delicacy popular with tourists. The components are entirely natural. Everyone who sees it wants to buy it because the packaging is basic yet gorgeous.

11. Kaipen - Fried Seaweed 

Seaweed snacks are popular not just among the Japanese but also among the Lao people. Among them is fried seaweed. This meal is made by crushing seaweed with seasonings. Then spread it thinly on the tray and top with sesame seeds. To achieve the end product, seaweed is dried in the sun until it is completely dry. Get seaweed and deep fried it for a delicious snack.

12. Laotian coffee

Despite not being among the world's top coffee-exporting countries, Lao coffee is thought to be of the highest quality. The Bolaven highlands, with their excellent temperature and soil, produce 95% of the country's coffee.

Lao delicacies may be found everywhere, from street food carts to fancy restaurants. Vangthong is a well-known food market located just across from the Laos National Stadium. This is a "gathering" of foodies, as well as a great location to buy specialty items as gifts at a fair price. "Hunting" the top Laos Holiday Deals and promotional Laos Tours on Threeland Travel right away to explore the specialty paradise!