Lao food is built on sticky rice, fresh herbs, and fermented fish -- simpler and earthier than Thai cuisine, though the two are closely related. The Lao people call themselves 'luuk khao niew' (children of sticky rice), and Laos has the highest per capita consumption of sticky rice in the world.
Sticky rice (khao niew) is served at every meal in small woven bamboo baskets called tip khao. You eat it with your hands, pinching off a ball and dipping it into whatever is on the table. Once you get the hang of it, eating any other way feels wrong.
Laap (also spelled larb) is the national dish -- a salad of minced meat or fish tossed with lime juice, fish sauce, toasted rice powder, fresh mint, and chilies. The Lao version tends to be less sweet than the Thai version and can be fiercely spicy. Try laap with duck or fish for something beyond the standard chicken or pork.
Tam mak hoong is the Lao papaya salad, pounded in a mortar with tomatoes, chilies, lime, fish sauce, and padaek (fermented fish paste). It is sharper and funkier than the Thai som tam -- the padaek gives it a deeper, more complex flavor.
Ping gai (grilled chicken) is marinated in lemongrass, garlic, and fish sauce, then grilled over charcoal. It is everywhere and almost always good, particularly from roadside vendors.
Sai oua (Lao sausage) is a herby pork sausage stuffed with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and chili. It is aromatic, slightly spicy, and excellent with beer.
Mok pa is fish steamed in banana leaves with dill, lemongrass, and kaffir lime. Unwrapping the little parcel releases a cloud of fragrant steam. It is one of the most distinctive Lao dishes and not widely found outside the country.
Or lam is a thick stew from Luang Prabang made with meat, aubergines, greens, and a bitter wood called mai sakaan that gives it an unusual flavor. It is comfort food at its best.
Khao piak sen is a comforting rice noodle soup, thicker and stickier than Vietnamese pho, served for breakfast across the country.
French colonial influence means excellent baguettes are sold from carts in every town. Lao baguette sandwiches (khao jii) stuffed with pate, meat, pickled vegetables, and chili sauce are the perfect cheap breakfast or lunch. The coffee is strong and good, typically served with sweetened condensed milk.
Beer Lao is the national beer, a clean and refreshing lager that is rightly beloved. Lao-Lao, the local rice whisky, is potent and cheap -- approach with caution.