Wild Pepper (Lá Lốt Plant)

Piper sarmentosum is a plant in the family Piperaceae used in many Southeast Asian cuisines. The leaves are often confused with betel (Piper betle) as they look very similar indeed but they lack the intense taste of the betel leaves and are a bit smaller. It is cultivated for its leaf which is used in Lao and Vietnamese cuisine as a flavouring wrap for grilling and bbq-ing meats, namely the thịt bò nướng lá lốt in Vietnam - which is so good I'm surprised everyone isn't doing it!