LAO
Lao cuisine is very similar to the food eaten in the north-eastern Isaan region of Thailand, being very spicy, more often bitter than sweet, and using lots of fresh herbs and vegetables served raw.
Rice is the staple carbohydrate, especially sticky rice, which is eaten by hand from small baskets called tip khao.
The national dish is laap (aka larb), a salad of minced meat mixed with herbs, spices, lime juice and often large amounts of chilli. Unlike Thai larb, the Lao version can use raw rather than lightly cooked meat and if prepared with seafood makes a tasty and spicy carpaccio.
Another favourite is tam maak hung, the spicy green papaya salad known as som tam in Thailand, but which the Lao like to dress with fermented crab and an intense fish sauce called pa daek, resulting in a stronger flavour than the milder, sweeter Thai style. Other popular dishes include spicy grilled chicken (ping kai) and fish steamed in a banana leaf (mok pa).