About the market and padaek

Going to the market is my (almost) daily routine – ok, kind of a routine, as it is every time a new experience – different smells, new herbs, other seasonal fruits or vegetables. It is about discovering with all the senses, continuously. The smell experience from my last Saturday’s market visit was shaped by a self-declared food tourist, the writer of the famous “Ant egg soup”. The famous Padaek – a fermented fish paste – is sold all over the market, fish is fermenting in big buckets. So far, I would try to avoid deep breaths while walking past the paste, since the fish continues to ferment and produces this indescribable mix of smells that suddenly hits your nostrils. But this time it was different. Inspired by the writer, I opened my senses to look at the smell differently, she compared it with a strong smelly French cheese and yes, it comes actually pretty close to it. It also reminded me of the fermented horse milk I used to drink when I was in Mongolia. Isn’t it interesting and fascinating that so diverse nations on the planet have adopted the same process – fermentation – to conserve and transform food!?

Enjoy the impressions from the market!

First of all, the Paedak, the fermented fish used as a base ingredient for many traditional Lao food recipes