The Lao diet is based on khao niaw, or “sticky rice”, deftly rolled into a neat, small ball and eaten with the hand. Along with it there is another vital ingredient, paa daek, a highly pungent fermented fish paste. Sticky rice is generally accompanied by a selection of dips, parboiled vegetables, salads, soups and various curried meat or fish dishes. While sticky rice is eaten by hand, long-grain rice is always eaten with a spoon and fork. Chopsticks are reserved for Chinese-style noodle dishes. Dishes are generally cooked with vegetables, poultry (chicken, duck), pork, beef or water buffalo. Fish and prawns are readily available but, with Laos being a landlocked country, are nearly always of the freshwater variety.