Laos - Traditional Lao food

Traditional Laos food is rather similar to Vietnamese and Thai food, which is easier to find in our part of the world and therefore more convenient to make references to. I'm not sure which culture had greater influence over the other, so perhaps it's fairer to say that all three are rather similar to each other.

During a weekday lunch, we went to this pho stall (or feu in Laotian, or kuey teow naam in Thai) a short walk from the morning market in Vientiane. Called Pho Zap, it was extremely packed, and we were fortunate to get a table quickly.

Really amazing smells emerging from this pot of boiling soup

Miscellaneous condiments to add into your noodles - a rather wide range, including different types of chillis, sauces, and spices.

All this for 13,000 kip (approx US $1.30)

Various veggies for adding to the noodles - not just basil and bean sprouts. I had no idea what some of the leaves were.

This was a good hearty bowl of noodles. The soup is more similar to the Vietnamese pho than the Thai version - it's less sweet, less dark and a bit less intense.

Absolutely packed

Walking around the streets of Vientiane, I found a man grilling fish outside a provision shop

This tank was at the back of the shop - plenty more where that came from!

We also ate at the food court on the top floor of the morning market in Vientiane. The Laos papaya salad has a stronger flavour than the Thai version, almost like rojak sauce but not quite. They also add a sour green fruit that is similar to buah dong dong, but I have no idea what it was.

A really good chicken curry noodles from one of the food court stalls.

Finally, grilled food stall on the streets of Luang Prabang - grilled fish must be a hot favourite!