Larb

Larb(Lao:ລາບ;Thai:ลาบ,RTGS:lap,pronounced[lâːp]), also spelledlaab,laap,larp, orlahb,is a traditionalLaominced meat salad and a national dish ofLaos. Known for its bold and harmonious flavors, it is a cornerstone ofLao cuisine, often accompanied bysticky riceandgreen papaya salad.
Larb features minced meat, often pork, chicken, beef, duck, or fish, seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, roasted ground rice, and fresh herbs like mint, with chili commonly added for heat. Larb is typically served with sticky rice and is integral to Lao cultural and celebratory meals.
Originating in Laos, larb has influenced the cuisines of neighboring regions, particularly northeastern and northernThailand(IsanandLanna), which share historical ties with the formerLan Xang Kingdom. Variants of larb also appear in the cuisines of otherTai-speaking peoples, such as those inShan State, Myanmar, andYunnan Province, China. Despite regional adaptations, larb's roots remain distinctly Lao.
Commissioned by the ChineseQianlong emperorin 1751, theQing Imperial Illustrations of Tributary Peoplesdescribes theLao peopleas the following: "The Laowo (Lao) are customarily called Wojia [...] They like to eat raw meat."
Étienne François Aymonier, who visited Laos in 1883, described laab as a favorite dish of Lao people – a mixture of chopped onions or scallions, lemongrass leaves, fermented fish and chili mixed with fresh and boiled fish. The dish was eaten with steam-cooked sticky rice.Another French visitor, Doctor Estrade, who arrived in 1893, described larb as a Lao main dish made with boiled fish, chili and ground roasted sticky rice.
Depending on the method of preparation, it may be known by different names, includingnam tok, goi/saa, yum/sua,and can be made with beef, buffalo, chicken, duck, fish, pork, shrimp, game meat, mushroom or even algae. Laab can be servedraw, which is known aslaab diip(raw) oraharn suer(tiger food), or cooked, and usually served with a soup made with the bones of the meat being used.
Historically, laab dishes were more common amongst the aristocracy and traditional recipes for laab served to Laotian royalty are in a collection of handwritten recipes fromPhia Sing(1898–1967), royal chef and master of ceremonies.Laab is considered to be an auspicious and lucky dish because traditionally meat was not readily available, and most Laotians would normally eat laab at special occasions, such as wedding, New Year celebrations and festivals. Many Laotians will bless their family and guests with a meal consisting of laab for luck and good fortune. During the New Year celebration, many Lao families believe that eating laab on day one of the three-day celebration will bring good fortune for the rest of the year.
Prior to the collapse of the monarchy, in Laotian high society, servants were never allowed to prepare the best and most delicate dishes. The women of Laotian high society considered it an honorable task and great opportunity to display their culinary talents to prepare laab for their esteemed guests. Among ordinary Laotians, when preparing laab, housewives would prepare the ingredients in separate containers as amise en place, leaving the final honor of mixing all the ingredients in a large bowl to the head of the household. As tradition goes, the head of the family would start with malaxating the mincemeat – softening and incorporating it with a cupful of stock from the soup, then adding the toasted ground rice, pepper powder, garlic, salt,padaeksauce and finally chopped aromatics before serving.
Laab has a meaning in theLan Nadialect (1292–1775), the neighboring kingdom ofLan Xang(1353–1707, present day Laos). The name derived from the full word of "จิ๊นลาบ", the word "จิ๊น" translates to animal meat while "ลาบ" means to chop into smaller pieces or mince inLanna script(closely linked toTai Tham). However, in ancient Lanna dialect, the word “ฟัก” ("fak")  was always used for "mince".
In Laos, depending on how the dish is prepared, it may be known by different names, includingnam tok, goi/saa, yum/sua.Modernlaabis most often made withchicken,beef,duck,fish,porkormushrooms, flavored withfish sauce,lime juice,padaek, roasted ground rice and fresh herbs. The meat can be eitherrawor cooked; it ismincedand mixed withchili,mint, roughly ground toasted rice (khao khoua) and, optionally, assortedvegetablesaccording to personal preference. The dish is served at room temperature and usually with a serving ofsticky riceand raw or fresh vegetables.Traditionally, beef laab will only contain offal, bile, and all of the other ingredients without lime juice.Fish and shrimp laab are also traditionally absent lime juice but incorporate minced galangal. Compared to other laab, fish and shrimp laab does require an extra step. The deboned fish filet, or shrimp is minced, then pounded in a mortar and pestle until it turns to a gluey paste.  Padaek juice is carefully added to the mixture, and stirred to a desired consistency, before finishing off with the finely chopped galangal and other aromatic herbs.
Laab in the old kingdom ofLanna(1292–1775), is a local delicacy popular to aristocrats in the area. The name derived from the full word of "จิ๊นลาบ", the word "จิ๊น" means animal meat while "ลาบ" means to chop into smaller pieces or mince inLanna script(closely linked toTai Tham).
Laab was enjoyed in both raw or cooked forms depends on the likings. The cooked laab is mostly roasted and, therefore, called "ลาบคั่ว" (roasted laab).
The raw laab are known as "ลาบเลือด" (blood laab), popularly eaten alongside alcohol. In the ancient times, it is made solely by men and women were banned from the process due to the notion that women could contaminate the dish with menstruated blood.
Lanna people often eat laab during auspicious celebrations such as the new year orSongkran, housewarming, weddings, ordination, and other Buddhist festivities. It is influenced by the Thai word "ลาภ" (derived fromPali)homophone: meaning unexpected luck or fortune.
Thelaabfromnorthern Thailandwhere the Lao have migrated,laab Lan Na, is different from the internationally more well-known Lao stylelaab. The northern Thailaabof the Tai Nyuan/Khon Muang (northern Thai people)does not contain fish sauce and is not sour, as neither lime juice nor any other souring agent is used. Instead, the northern Thai version uses a mix of dried spices as flavoring and seasoning which includes ingredients such ascumin,cloves,long pepper,star anise,prickly ash seedsandcinnamonamongst others, derived from the location of northern Thailand'sLan NaKingdom on one of the spice routes to China,in addition to ground dried chillies, and, in the case oflaabmade with pork or chicken, the blood of the animal. The dish can be eaten raw (laab dip), but also after it has been stir-fried for a short time (laab suk). If blood is omitted from the preparation of the stir-fried version, the dish is calledlaab khua(Thai:ลาบคั่ว). There is also a kind oflaabcalledlaab luat(Lao:ລາບເລືອດ) orlu(Thai:หลู้). This dish is made with minced raw pork or beef, raw blood, kidney, fat and bile, and mixed with spices, crispy fried onions, fresh herbs and other ingredients.Laaband its other variations are served with an assortment of fresh vegetables and herbs, and eaten withglutinous rice.This version oflaabis thought to have originated in the town ofPhrae, in northern Thailand.This style oflaabcan also be found in parts of northern Laos.
The risks from eating raw meat include contractingtrichinosis, caused by an infectious worm, along with fatal bacterial or potentiallyrabiesinfection.The consumption of rawlaabandlumade with raw pork has led to several cases of humanStreptococcus suisinfections in Thailand, some of them with a deadly result.
The consumption of rawfreshwaterfish can lead to an infection byOpisthorchis viverrini(Southeast Asian liver fluke), aparasiticflatwormthat can live for many years inside the human liver. Northern Thailand, where certain fishes are consumed fermented, has the highest recorded rate of medically untreatablecholangiocarcinoma.