Lao cuisine

[1][2] Sticky rice is deeply ingrained in the culture, religious tradition, and national identity of Laos.

The spread of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam into Southeast Asia during this period took with it Indian traditions and culture to what are now Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Laos where it took roots and continues to flourish to this day.

[14][15] It is also during this time that Buddhist monks introduced traditional Indian spices, curry, and coconut milk to Laos.

With the Columbian exchange, non-native crops—such as tomato, papaya, sweetcorn, pineapple, and chili peppers—were introduced to Southeast Asia probably through the various sea ports of modern-day Thailand, Cambodia,[17] and Vietnam via the Philippines[18] and Malacca.

Through trades with the Portuguese and other Europeans, acceptance and cultivation of non-native crops and ingredients quickly spread throughout Southeast Asia.

By the mid-1500s, Europeans were exploring and trading with mainland Southeast Asia, reaching as far as Vientiane and Luang Prabang.

Some of the more notable Europeans who had travelled there or wrote extensively about their experiences were Fernão Mendes Pinto (1542-1545),[19] Diogo Veloso and Blas Ruiz (1596),[17] Geebard van Wusthof (1641),[20] Giovanni Filippo de Marini (1642-1648),[21] Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix (1830), and Henri Mouhot (1861).

Simon de la Loubère (1642-1729) observed that the cultivation of the papaya was already widespread in Siam around the early-1700s[22] and by the time Pallegoix arrived as missionary to Bangkok, the papaya and chili peppers was already fully integrated in the Lao territory, dependencies and the Southeast Asian food culture as a whole.

[23][24][25][26][27] French explorer Mouhot, during his trip to Luang Prabang, noted that the Laotians adored chili peppers.

In fact, with the recent droves of migrants from Isan further south to Bangkok, the Thai capital has in many respects become the epicenter of Lao cuisine.

There are also sizable expatriate communities in places like the United States and France that make for numerous culinary variations abroad.

[30]At the conclusion of the Vietnam War, between 1975 and 1995, it was estimated that approximately 200,000 Lao refugees crossed the Mekong River into Thailand.

[29] Van Esterik also noted that, "[i]n attempting to include northeastern food in a standardized national cuisine, middle-class Bangkok selected and modified the taste of a few dishes—grilled chicken, somtam, laab—by reducing the chili peppers and increasing the sugar, and ignored other dishes such as fermented fish and insects".

This is perhaps due to forced Thaification, an official attempt to promote national unity and "Thainess", in which any mention of "Lao" and other non-Thai descriptors were removed and replaced with "northeastern Thai" or "Isan".

Because most Americans are unfamiliar with Laotian food, Lao entrepreneurs have aimed to acquire more business by advertising themselves as Thai restaurants: the latter have successfully achieved popularity with the mainstream population.

Keo explains the reason for opening Thai as opposed to Lao restaurants: "I felt that Laotian food would not have been successful in America at that time.

Sticky rice is steamed inside of a bamboo basket, a huad, which sits on top of a pot, which is called the maw nung.

A large, deep mortar called a khok is used for pounding tam mak hoong and other foods.

Grilling, boiling, stewing, steaming, searing and mixing (as in salads) are all traditional cooking methods.

Ways Lao food differs from neighboring cuisines include that Lao meals commonly include a large quantity of fresh raw greens, vegetables and herbs served undressed on the side, and that savory dishes are never sweet, and some dishes are bitter.

The traditional manner of eating was communal, with diners sitting on a reed mat on the wooden floor around a raised platform woven out of rattan called a ka toke.

The reason this custom evolved is probably due to the fact that sticky rice can only be easily handled by hand.

When guests are present, the meal is always a feast, with food made in quantities sufficient for twice the number of diners.

Lao desserts are generally made with the combination of tropical fruits and glutinous rice products.

The custom in Laos is to drink coffee in glasses, with condensed milk in the bottom, followed by a chaser of green tea.

In June 2005, it beat 40 other brews to take the silver prize at Russia's Osiris Beer Festival, which it had entered for the first time.