Pork

Moo is the Lao name for pig. Families living in villages usually have their own pigs, and everyone enjoys pork meat. However, many other parts of the pig are eaten also, such as the trotters (teen moo) and tripe (poung na moo).

Sin moo ping is the name for pork which has already been grilled, whether bought thus in the market or prepared at home.

Moo pin (literally, ‘pork turned’) refers to a whole small pig which has been spit-roasted.

Fried pork skin is an ingredient in many dishes. It comes in two forms. Khiep moo is crisp-fried pork skin. Khiep moo houm is moist fried pork skin. Lao refugees in Britain have discovered that they can buy in pubs little packets of ‘pork scratchings’, which are quite like khiep moo although chopped up small, whereas in Laos the product is sold in sizeable pieces (as shown).