Lao-Khamu men drinking lao-hai from an earthenware jar. Water is added to the jar to maintain the liquid level as the alcohol is sipped.

Lao-Lao (Lao: ເຫລົ້າລາວ) is a Laotian rice whisky produced in Laos.[1][2] Along with Beerlao, 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.[3]

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.[3][4]

Production and consumption

lao-Lao with scorpions

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, 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.[1][5] Lao-Lao sold on retail is usually clear, but amber colored varieties exist too.[2]

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.[3][4]

A less powerful version of lao-Lao, called lao-hai, is especially popular with the Khamu ethnic group in Laos, and is drunk from large communal earthenware pots (hai) through long bamboo straws.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sally Everett (12 April 2016). Food and Drink Tourism: Principles and Practice. SAGE Publications. p. 301. ISBN 978-1-4739-6597-3.
  2. 1 2 "The cheapest alcohol in the world: Lao-Lao, Laos rice whiskey". www.priceoftravel.com. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Dorothy Culloty (2010). Food from Northern Laos: The Boat Landing Cookbook. Galangal Press. pp. 178–179. ISBN 978-0-473-17236-7.
  4. 1 2 3 The Rough Guide to Laos. Rough Guides Limited. 19 September 2013. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-4093-5038-5.
  5. ↑ "Gender and Aquaculture in Lao PDR". www.fao.org. Archived from the original on 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
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