Living in houses on stilts, playing the khene and eat sticky rice with Padeck are the main characteristic of Lao Paople.
The World offers a wide variety of cuisines. When preparing a meal, one does not only want to cease hunger but also seeks good taste at low cost. The preparation of a meal is very important and so are the ingredients. Sticky rice and Padeck have been rooted in Lao traditional cuisine since the early periods.
Souligna Vongsa who united the LaneXang Kingdom from 1673 to 1694 made the distinction between the Lao and Vietnamese people as such. The people living in houses on stilts and who eat sticky rice and Padeck are Lao. Those living in houses built on the grond who use chop sticks and wear large pants are the Vietnamese.
Most Lao eat sticky rice. After being steamed, the rice is kept in a basket called Tipkao or Kongkao in various areas. This basket is hand woven bamboo strips and comes in different colors, sizes and shapes.
Sticky rice can be prepared in different ways, such as Kaomao Kaohang, kaonung and Bamboo steamed. Kaobeua is a base to prepare bamboo shoots soup. Kaokua is used to add flavour to Lab or Koy, the Lao traditional meat salad. These various ways of using sticky rice adds flavour and aroma to dishes and one could not abtion same results by substituting with other type of rice or wheat. Another kind of sticky rice is Kaokama and it is distinctive by its black color.
Kaomao and Kaohang, described above, have a sweeter flavour and are used during Buddhist lent. During the harvesting period, we have Kaomai, Paman, which are a newly harvested rice that is eaten with fatty fish.
Padeck is a distinctive and unique Lao traditional food. Its quality will reflect the talent of the cook or the housewife. It is a mixture of fish and salt that is marinated and preserved in a jar for a minimum of a year, up to 3 years. Indeed, the older it is conserved the stronger the taste. And, one could not tell its existence in a dish by recognizing its tate in a dish, it will just add more flavor and aroma to most dishes. Have sticky rice with a dish with good padeck makes a noted difference in taste!