Lao cuisine, even if it is little-known in the West, has had a major influence on the cuisine of neighboring countries like Thailand and Cambodia.
Since Lao people come from a region which is now part of China, their cuisine is distinct from that of the rest of Southeast Asia. For example, Lao meals include many raw vegetables, and their savory dishes are never sweet. They use some ingredients ignored in other countries; like galangal, pivotal in Lao cuisine.
Laos, like Vietnam and Cambodia, was largely influenced by France, and this is still clear in some aspects of the local cuisine. Baguettes and ca fay (Laotian coffee) are sold on the streets of Vientiane, the capital city, and French restaurants are quite common.
Some dishes you shouldn't miss during your trip to Laos are: larb, a meat-based salad with mint leaves, chili, and fish sauce; pho, a noodle soup originating from Vietnam with sliced pork or beef; and papaya salad, with a strong taste of salt and spices.
Highlights
- Enjoy the cuisine that has made a major impact on Thai food.
- Try laap, the unofficial national meat dish, with contrasting, rich flavors…
- …or som tam, a spicy and savory papaya salad.
- Try the many kinds of excellent tropical fruit, from mangosteen to honey mango.
- Get to know the local table manners and pay homage to your hosts.
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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My husband and I are planning a 3 week…
Alisa was a great listener to all the things we wanted to incorporate into our trip. We discussed everything throughly, and when I had questions, she had answers the next day. I really appreciate her responsiveness and detail with me. I feel like we are in the best hands with Alisa and Asia Highlights. More
, Mar 2024
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Very great experience our driver D was…
Very great experience our driver D was never late and always had waters and a cold towel for us and our tour guide Som was very informative and had amazing English I recommend them both highly for anyone else traveling More
Rylan Coache, Feb 2024
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Excellent guide in Siem Reap
Our recent time spent in Siem Reap was made even more memorable by our expert guide, Som Piseth. Som was knowledgeable, attentive, flexible and super helpful - we learnt so much about Siem Reap and Cambodia in our 3 days with him. His English was excellent and his knowledge of, and pride in, his country was outstanding. We would highly recommend Som for anyone wanting an excellent guide in Siem Reap! More
Sharon Townshend, Feb 2024
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Asia Highlights trip to Thailand
Our first tour guide in Bangkok, Marie, was great to tour around with. She was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and spoke wonderful English. Our next stop in Chang Mai we were greeted by our new tour guide, Rafael. He too was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and spoke wonderful English. He made it feel as if we were traveling around with a long time friend. Every time we arrived at a new destination, we were greeted at the airport by someone with a sign with our name making our travels easy. I would definitely recommend Asia Highlights to anyone looking for a well planned trip of a lifetime! More
Tricia, Feb 2024
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Amazing Thailand experience
The tour guides were all knowledgeable and accommodating, especially Mayuree in Bangkok- absolutely wonderful. We felt taken care of and every step of the way was catered to our needs. More
Ashley White, Feb 2024
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Private tour perfect for our times
Asia highlights organized a private tour with our requests. Everything was perfect ?? the driver Tom and the guide Ying were always on time with a smile in their face. Always willing to help and make our trip perfect. Bangkok is a very hot city so we minimized the time outside. The driver always had cold towels for us in the van and cold beverages. More
Virginia, Feb 2024
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Thailand
We loved Chiang Mai and Susie did a great job showing us several temples, taking many pictures of us with the elephants at the sanctuary (a definite highlight of the entire trip!), and making sure we were well fed, which became a running joke between us.We had a very relaxing few days in Phuket enjoying the beautiful beaches. Kai was great, answering all of our questions and giving us a nice tour of the old town. The all-day speedboat tour of the Phi Phi islands started off a little shaky as the sea was quite rough so if you’re at all uncomfortable bouncing around in a speedboat, you might want to skip that tour. Things did calm down as the day went on and some of the areas they took us to for swimming, snorkeling, etc were really beautiful. A couple of the islands were too crowded with people. More
Andrea Roberts, Feb 2024
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What a Wonderful Trip
What a Wonderful Trip! We booked with Sharon and our trip was great - guides were waiting for us at each stop, and they were all very nice and helpful. I cannot stress how amazing the guides were - they made the trip. More
Rachel, Feb 2024
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Ask for Victor!
If you are traveling to Bangkhok you need to request Victor. He made our trip amazing! My family completed bucket list items with his guidance. He knew exactly how to get us places, kept us on time, made us feel safe, educated us on history, spoke excellent English and was genuinely a nice man! Everyone we encountered was awesome- but Victor is the reason for my 5 star review! More
Sandy, Jan 2024
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Thank you Alisa for helping us plan a…
Thank you Alisa for helping us plan a wonderful trip to Thailand. We had a great time. The tour guides were wonderful as were the hotels you booked for us. We will definitely contact you to plan our next trip More
Carol Yeung, Jan 2024
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Ying was the best
Ying was the best. She was really knowledgeable and kind. Thank you Ying for wonderful experience in Thailand! More
Sylvester Yeung, Jan 2024
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Very well organized
Very well organized. Our tour guide, Ying, was amazing! She had full knowledge of every location we visited and made sure our itinerary was fulfilled as expected. She was extremely helpful for our airport experiences, and made sure we arrived at an appropriate time. More
David M. Kang, Jan 2024
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Family trip to Thailand
We were lucky to be greeted by Marie and her driver.In Marie, we have made a friend for life. She is incredibly smart and knowledgeable about her home country. From the vast number of temples to safely traversing Chinatown.She helped give us tips on our free days, locate left behind lost clothing and arrange for pickup. She even helped check us in for our flight to Chiang Mai.She prepared us ahead of time for every event we had scheduled and bonded with our kids, 3x 13 year olds. More
Justin Levenbrook, Jan 2024
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Thailand with and amazing tour guide Ying
I highly recommend Ying as a tour guide in Thailand. Her expertise in Thai culture, combined with her passion for food and genuine love for her country, made the tour an exceptional experience. If you're looking for a guide who will not only show you the sights but also immerse you in the local culture and help you discover delicious Thai cuisine, Ying is the perfect choice. More
Diana Irizarry, Jan 2024
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Asia Highlights Thailand trip
Asia Highlights provided us with a great travel trip. They made it very easy to navigate through Thailand with everything going very smoothly. From the easy transportation to the great day itinerary everything was awesome. Will definitely look to use this agency again in the future. More
Taylor Jones, Jan 2024
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Perfect 2 WK Thailand Trip for a Solo Female Traveler
Bank was our guide in Bangkok and he showed us around the city with ease and we were able to see and try things I never would have planned on my own. After Bangkok, our small group flew to Chiang Mai for Yi Peng lantern festival and that was a breathtaking experience that I will never forget! Pop was our guide in this city and she was knowledgeable, kind and caring which made our experience even more memorable. More
Tia, Dec 2023
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We recently have just returned from Thailand
We recently have just returned one from a 5 week trip to Thailand through Asia Highlights. We had a wonderful time and Asia Highlights went beyond our expectations. They truly tried their best to make sure everything went smoothly and we were taken care of! Everyone was amazing and we would definitely use them in the future!! Many thanks to everyone that helped to make this an incredible once in a lifetime experience!! More
Karen Rocque, Dec 2023
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Indochina Experience
On our 5th day of our trip with Asiahighlights. We felt well taken care of before and it hasn’t changed since we started from Bangkok to Hanoi (guide Kim was verrry knowledgeable!) to Halong Bay (spectacular scenery) to Hoi An (guide Nhieu Tran, giving great local (shopping) tips and insights). More
Stefan Eisenhut, Dec 2023
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Ingredients
A traditional Lao meal consists of different courses such as a soup, greens, and a stewed or mixed dish. There is no particular order to follow when eating the different dishes and soup is sipped throughout the entire meal.
The most important food to Lao people is rice; it is eaten with almost every single meal. It is so important that Lao people call themselves "descendants of sticky rice" (luk khao niaow).
Like every other cuisine in Southeast Asia, Lao cuisine uses many different herbs and spices. The combination of herbs and spices gives to each dish a characteristic flavor that will delight your taste buds.
Fish paste and soy sauce are used as condiments: the former mostly as dipping for meat and fish, the latter to add flavor to noodles, soup, fish, and meat.
Let's look now at some of the individual ingredients.
Rice and Noodles
Sticky rice is the country's staple food. Some variations are sticky brown rice and khao lam, glutinous rice cooked inside bamboo sticks. There is a basket of rice near the table at every meal, which is closed once the meal is over.
Besides the classic sticky rice, Lao people also like to consume:
- Glutinous rice, with opaque grains;
- Cellophane noodles, transparent noodles made from mung-bean starch and water; and
- Khao poon, fresh rice noodles made from fermented rice.
Herbs and Spices
Lao cuisine uses an incredible number of different herbs and spices present in almost every recipe.
Galangal and lemongrass are perhaps the most popular. Galangal is mostly used for soups, while lemongrass is also used for stews and marinades.
Most of the herbs and spices are used to add flavor to soups, stews, or marinades. Some of the most popular are: coriander, mint (also eaten raw), kaffir lime, ginger flower or root, chili pepper, garlic, and Asian basil.
Sauces and Dips
The traditional fish sauce used in Laos is called padaek, containing chunks of pickled or fermented fish. Unlike other fish sauces in Southeast Asia, padaek is made from freshwater fish, and is used for many dishes, especially papaya salad, called tam maakhong.
Popular dips for meat and fish dishes are:
- Jaew mak khua, made from roasted eggplant;
- Jaew mak len, made from roasted sweet tomatoes;
- Jaew bong, sweet and spicy paste made with roasted chilies, pork skin, and galangal;
- Jaew padaek, made from fried padaek fish pieces, roast garlic, chilies, and lemon grass.
Vegetables
One peculiarity of Lao cuisine is that many vegetables are used as side dishes and eaten raw. Banana flowers, Asian basil, Lao coriander, Lao eggplant, mint, wild betel leaves, and many more are eaten raw to accompany dishes like curries, soups, and stews.
Cucumber is usually eaten as a garnish or as a substitute for the papaya in salad. Salads are common (also meat-based ones), and among the most popular are:
- Tam som: with Lao chili peppers, lime juice, tomatoes, padaek, sugar, crab and shrimp paste (the pastes are optional);
- Tam mak guh: made with spicy green bananas; and
- Tam mak thou: spicy green long/yard bean salad.
Fruit
In Laos you will find plenty of tropical fruit. Depending on the season, you may be served with a combination of papaya, banana, pineapple, melon, or mango.
Apples, grapes, and Asian pears (imported from China) are available in many places. During the cold winter months, it is easy to find citrus fruit such as pomelos and tangerines.
April to July is the high season for fruit. Honey mangoes are creamy and sweet; mangosteens, lychees, and rambutan are all worth a try.
On the streets, it is common to encounter carts selling fruit by the kilo. We recommend trying the local specialties and avoiding imported fruit (which is often more expensive and not as good).
Regional Cuisine
Every region in Laos has its own specialties, with fresh food from the locality.
Kaipen is a specialty in Luang Prabang: a fried snack made of free water weed and dipped in a spicy paste made with pork skin and galangal (see below). Other dishes worth a try include dried water buffalo skin; aw lam, a thick soup with mushrooms, meat, and eggplant; and ao-lam, a salad with seaweed, served with sesame seeds.
Vientiane is famous for its fish paste (padaek), sour and spicy fish salad (koypaa), and steamed fish and fresh herbs (neungpaa).
If you like fish, Champasak Province offers a wide variety of fish dishes, such as fish salad, fermented fish and pureed fish.
Some Specialties
- Larb (also spelled laab): this most popular Lao dish is made with minced meat (raw or cooked) and seasoned with mint, chili, fish sauce, and lime juice. Roughly toasted rice is usually also used.
- Tam mak hoong (or som tam): sour lime, hot chili, salty and savory fish sauce, palm sugar, and papaya are the foundations for the rich flavor of this savory, crunchy salad.
- Kaipen with jeaw bong: a popular snack made with algae, vegetables, and sesame seeds. The algae are first gathered when the rivers are dried, then hung to dry. Finally, they are pressed into thin sheets.
- Lao sausage: different varieties are made of fatty pork with lemongrass, galangal, cilantro, garlic, and other spices. They are usually roasted and served with sticky rice or greens.
Asia Highlights Hand-Picked Restaurants
Choosing the right restaurant is fundamental for experiencing the best cuisine the country has to offer. Both Luang Prabang and Vientiane are full of excellent places for a good meal. We have chosen a few restaurants that are worth a try. They offer high-quality service, a family-friendly environment, and of course, amazing food.
Luang Prabang
Khaiphaen, named after a crispy snack made from seaweed, is a training restaurant; part of the TREE Alliance, which hires disadvantaged young local kids and trains them.
Located between the French Institute and the Mekong River, the restaurant offers local Laotian food like kao soi, a miso soup with duck, or Mekong river fish and coconut with prawns, besides many different dishes for meat- or veggie-lovers.
Near the National Museum and the Night Market you will find the Blue Lagoon Restaurant, with its elegant ambience and its mix of eastern and western delicacies. They offer Laotian and Swiss-like local tender buffalo fillet and a lot of different fresh salads.
Tamarind restaurant is popular among locals and tourists alike: booking a table is essential. They use only the freshest ingredients to cook Laotian dishes, such as fragrant lemongrass with chicken, eggplant and meat stew, steamed fish with banana leaves, and many more.
You can choose between a Luang Prabang Meal, with only traditional dishes, or an Adventurous Lao Gourmet, a degustation-style (careful-tasting-style) menu.
Vientiane
Lao Kitchen is a contemporary Lao restaurant that tries to adapt classic traditional dishes. Its menu spans stews, Laotian sausages, stir-fried morning glory, spring rolls, and much more. For each dish you can choose the level of spiciness (from 1 to 3).
Little House is a charming café serving excellent coffee coming from Bolavan Plateau, the coffee-growing region of the country. You can choose between medium or dark roast coffee, and between pastries and cakes. The restaurant is owned by the Handicraft Promotion Enterprise, a group collaborating with Lenten tribespeople to produce embroidered handicrafts.
JoMa Bakery Café offers organic coffee grown in Southern Laos and food made with the best locally-produced or homemade ingredients, like their gourmet ice cream. You can find plenty of baked goods and lattes here.
History
Lao and Thai food share common foundations, as they influenced each other in the past.
The Lao originally inhabited a northern region of China. They moved southwards bringing their traditions with them, and ended up in northeastern Thailand. After these migrations, Lao food was introduced into Thailand and Cambodia as well.
Tips for Eating
Table manners are important, especially when we are guests in another country. Here are some general rules to follow when eating, so you will be prepared to honor your host and his family:
- Take your fork in your left hand and your spoon in your right. Sticky rice is eaten with the fingers of the right hand. Chopsticks are generally used only for noodles and noodle soups.
- In a traditional home, you will sit on a mat on the floor. As a sign of respect, the host won't raise his head above the guest's head.
- Tradition requires everyone to sit around a raised platform called ka toke, with dishes arranged on it. Nowadays, however, this tradition is only followed by monks, when they are eating inside a temple.
- When eating in a group, many dishes are ordered so that everyone can try a little of each. It is impolite to refuse tea at the end of the meal, if offered.
- Beverages are usually not part of a Laotian meal.
The Asia Highlights Experience
Travelling allows us to explore and discover unfamiliar food habits we might fall in love with. Food is so important in every culture that we really don't want to miss it.
Book with Asia Highlights and you will be able to rely on our knowledgeable staff and professionally trained guides to help you have the perfect travel experience.
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Our guide lele is a wealth of information, Lele is very professional and very attentive to our needs. Lele is amazing. Lele got everything spot on. It probably helps that Guilin is a brilliant place to visit so Lele has great material to work with but that doesn't take anything away from how much Lele helped make it a great trip.
moreOur guide for Beijing was super knowledgeable and experienced and able to help us to achieve as much as we wanted within the time given. We had a fun time guided by him as he is also super humorous and you can see how he interacts with the vendors and people whom he comes by. Thank you for a very enjoyable time in Beijing and accommodating to all our needs!
moreOur China Highlight guide. Michael, was attentive, thoughtful and knowledgeable. He narrated many interesting historical events about Chengdu while touring around the city and having afternoon tea with us. He was thoughtful to provide us with snacks during long hikes at Leshan or walks around the city.
moreShe was very flexible and added extra time when we needed it and we felt extremely well taken care of. She also chose the best restaurants for us,
moreOur tour guide Helen, was excellent, she was very kind, professional and passionate for her work and she also loves Pandas! She will take you to take the best panda photos and to know more about Chengdu city. Our tour was great, she took us to all our destinations always with the best spots: Temples, pagodas, famous streets, theaters, pandas...you name it! Everything was great.
moreHe picked up our pre-booked boat/other excursions tickets so we were able to avoid all the long lines and chaos. He is knowledgeable of the places we visited, courteous, fun to travel with and well-versed in Chinese classics.
moreTom is the guide that will take you to where no other guide will. We pushed for the experience and Tom and the team delivered more than what we could have ever asked for. His English speaking ability and his Chinese history knowledge is second to none.
moreTom is the guide that will take you to where no other guide will. We pushed for the experience and Tom and the team delivered more than what we could have ever asked for. His English speaking ability and his Chinese history knowledge is second to none.
moreOur day trip to Hangzhou was phenomenal. Derek, our guide, was impeccable. By far the best guide we have had so far. He is extremely knowledgeable about the country’s history and geography and was always excited to share his insights.
moreXian es encantadora, el hotel Eastern house boutique muy buena elección por parte de la agencia, los desayunos muy completos para complacer todo tipo de gusto, lo recomiendo 100%, el itinerario fue muy acertado fueron 2 días en la ciudad xian, compartimos con la guía Susana, la atención, la amabilidad y sobre todo su profesionalismo fue lo que marcó la diferencia, sus detalles, estaba siempre en el lugar y momento correcto para hacer de xian un lugar inolvidable.
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