Vientiane - The chef of Vientiane's Sticky Fingers restaurant, Sisouphanh Ocampo, who won the cooking competition "Seap laai laai! 2010 – A Celebration of delicious Lao insects” with his insects tacos, will showcase the dish at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 from 19 to 22 September 2010.

The chef and a Laotian singer, two local celebrities, will promote Lao PDR and FAO’s project “Sustainable insect farming and harvesting for better nutrition, improved food security, and household income generation” by offering samples of the winning dish to Expo participants and informing these about the cultural and nutritional importance of insects in Lao PDR. In addition, this provides an excellent opportunity to showcase Lao culture more generally at a world class event.

The Saep laai laai! 2010 celebration was held on Saturday 28 August at the International Trade Exhibition and Convention Center (ITECC) in Vientiane. It was the first of a series of promotional activities organized to create awareness of the benefits of consuming edible insects. The objective with the event was to pay tribute to the native Lao cuisine and encourage the continued use of edible insects in the Lao diet for improved nutrition and food security.

Saep laai laaiI! 2010 was the first major food celebration in Lao PDR that focused on the use of insects as a main element in local and international cuisines.

"Not only do insects offer an excellent source of nutrients, they have also been a part of the human diet for a long time. Hence, we saw the need to celebrate the use of edible insects in our food and to encourage restaurants and eateries around Laos to explore more insect menus", said Serge Verniau, FAO Representative in Lao PDR.

"Now we look forward to taking the edible insects to Shanghai. The Chinese have traditionally consumed a lot of insects as part of their diet just like the Lao and we therefore think the presence of the edible insects from Laos will be much appreciated and create interest, especially by Chinese visitors to the World Expo", Verniau added.

Fifteen major restaurants and eateries from around the Vientiane capital prepared their best go at insect-themed dishes in Lao, Japanese, Chinese, Singaporean, Western, fusion and other international styles – for free public sampling by event-goers as well as for presentation to the invited panel of four eminent judges who voted on their favorite dishes.

FAO’s Edible Insect Project was launched in May 2010 as part of FAO’s work to assist combat chronic malnutrition in Lao PDR.

Three representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Ms Aluna Thavonsouk, Official Media Star of the Event, will also be part of the team that will be present at the United Nations Pavilion to represent the FAO.