Laplap (sometimes incorrectly spelled lap lap) is the national dish of Vanuatu. Laplap is prepared by grating breadfruit, bananas, taro or yam roots into a vegetable paste. The paste is then wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in an underground stone oven, with fresh coconut cream. Meats like pork, beef, chicken or flying fox can be added.Vanuatu: Laplap up some tropical flavour (+photos)
Etymology The word laplap comes from Bislama, the national language of Vanuatu.See entry laplap, p.147 of: Crowley, Terry. 2003. A new Bislama dictionary, 2d ed. Suva: Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific. It finds its origin in some of the Oceanic languages of the country: e.g. Dorig lablab , Nume labalam , both reflecting a Proto-Torres-Banks form *laᵐbalaᵐba.
The majority of indigenous languages of Vanuatu, however, name the dish using other roots. For example, Mota loko and Raga loḡo reflect a Proto-North-Central Vanuatu etymon *loᵑgo; Hiw tegōv , Lemerig ’ëgëv and Mwotlap na-tgop reflect Proto-Torres-Banks *taɣoβe;See entry t‹o›gop in A. François’ Mwotlap online dictionary. Araki has ureeje ,See entry ureeje in A. François’ Araki online dictionary. Tamambo has wewe, etc.
Main recipes
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