Lao-Lao () is a
Laotian rice whisky produced in
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
.
Along with
Beerlao
Beerlao (Lao language: ເບຍລາວ) is the generic name of a range of beers produced by the Lao Brewery Company (LBC) of Vientiane, Laos.
History
The beer is based on locally grown jasmine rice; the malt used is imported from Fran ...
, lao-Lao is a staple drink in Laos.
Etymology
The name ''lao-Lao'' is not the same word repeated twice, but two different words pronounced with different tones: the first,
ເຫລົ້າ, means "alcohol" and is pronounced with a low-falling tone in the standard dialect, while the second,
ລາວ, means Laotian ("Lao") and is pronounced with a high(-rising) tone.
Taste
Quality, taste and
alcohol concentration vary by source of the drink. However, all variations are strong. ''Lao satoe'', the white liquid by-product from lao-Lao production, is also drunk and it has a very yeasty and sweet taste.
Production and consumption
Although lao-Lao is traditionally drunk neat, a cocktail that is rising in popularity is the "Pygmy Slow Lorange", named after the
pygmy slow loris
The pygmy slow loris (''Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus'') is a species of slow loris found east of the Mekong River in Vietnam, Laos, eastern Cambodia, and China. It occurs in a variety of forest habitats, including tropical dry forests, semi-evergre ...
, a species endemic to Laos. Various flavoured lao-Laos are made by macerating such additives as honey or scorpions. It is women who often distill lao-Lao and sell it as a source of income locally, often being their second major income.
Lao-Lao sold on retail is usually clear, but
amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...
colored varieties exist too.
It is traditional to serve two glasses of lao-Lao on ceremonies, feasts and other comparable situations. The drink is customarily expected to be drunk with a single gulp.
A less powerful version of lao-Lao, called
lao-hai, , and is drunk from large communal
earthenware
Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...
pots (''hai'') through long
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
straws.
See also
* ''
Sra peang
''Sra peang'' ( km, ស្រាពាង, ) is a rice wine stored in earthen pots and indigenous to several ethnic groups in Cambodia, in areas such as Mondulkiri or Ratanakiri. It is made of fermented glutinous rice mixed with several kinds of ...
'', a similar form of wine drunk in Cambodia
* ''
Rượu cần
''Rượu cần'' ( or 'straw liquor') is a fermented rice wine indigenous to several ethnic groups in Vietnam, in areas such as Tây Nguyên or Tây Bắc. It is made of fermented glutinous rice (''nếp'') mixed with several kinds of herbs (in ...
'', a similar form of wine drunk in Vietnam
*
Rice wine
Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the so ...
*
Rice baijiu
Rice baijiu (), also known as rice-fragrance baijiu ( 米 香 型白酒), is a variety of Chinese baijiu. Unlike other types of baijiu, it is distilled mainly from rice rather than from sorghum or other grains. It has a characteristic rice fragran ...
*
Sato (rice wine)
''Sato'' ( th, สาโท, , ) is a traditional northeastern Thailand (Isan) beer style that has been made for centuries from starchy glutinous or sticky rice by growers in that region. Just as other regional varieties made not from grapes ...
– Isan version
References
External links
Lao-Lao Rice Whisky Recipe for Lao-Lao
Lao cuisine
Laotian drinks
Distilled drinks
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