What is 'authentic' Lao cuisine?

Laos has been influenced and colonized over the centuries by other cultures, so deciding what is ‘authentic’ depends a great deal on how far back you wish to place the starting line. From the use of a mayonnaise-style sauce in a Luang Prabang salad through baguettes and coffee, the colonial French influence is clear to see. But the creamy and complex sauces, hallmarks of French cuisine, are not integrated into Lao cuisine. Noodle soup, fer (pho), popular as breakfast or snack, clearly comes from Vietnam and even carries the same name.

The use of MSG and the introduction of stir-frying techniques have come in recent years from China, while chillies, dill and tomatoes were all introduced from other countries in the seventeenth century. Lao cuisine varies from region to region. Some areas favour certain flavours more than others. In the south, padaek features heavily in almost every dish, while in the north it is popular but not used so intensely. Steamed rice is more popular in the north, and among the Hill Tribes, where dishes bear some of the hallmarks of Chinese cuisine, being more liquid in nature. Otherwise, country people generally eat exclusively sticky rice.

Over the past ten years, with the growth of tourism and the opening up of Laos to the outside world, Lao food has taken on different emphases. Greater use of noodles and the introduction of sugar into the diet are noticeable features. Stir-frying is more popular: this and the greater use of coconut milk means that in towns, people eat both sticky and white rice to accompany their food.