Food and drinklarb (spicy minced meat salad) noun
- lâap falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
Classifier: จานjaan · plate; a plate of (food)
How to use it
Minced pork, chicken, duck or fish tossed with lime juice, fish sauce, chilli flakes, shallots, mint and toasted ground rice, ข้าวคั่วkâao-kûa, which gives it a nutty crunch. It comes from Isan and is eaten with sticky rice and raw vegetables.
Northern larb is a different dish, seasoned with dried spices; some versions use raw meat and blood, so ask for it cooked, สุกsùk. Because ลาบlâap sounds like ลาภlâap, good fortune, it's served at celebrations and merit-making for luck.
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:
- larb
- laab
- lahb
- lap
- larp
More food and drink in Thai
All food and drink- ข้าว kâao Rice
- ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง kâao-nǐaw má-mûang Mango sticky rice
- อาหาร aa-hǎan Food
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones