Laplap

Laplap (sometimes wrongly 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.



Etymology
The word laplap comes from Bislama, the national language of Vanuatu. 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;, while Tamambo has wewe.