What is Cambodian cuisine?
Though its culinary fare is less well known than its South-East Asian counterparts. Cambodian meals are absolutely delicious! They bring together so many different influences from all around the region and make it their own! Due to the colonial era you can even find glimpses of French flare in their food.
Meals here generally have basic and fresh ingredients. The food is bought fresh in the early hours of the morning from local markets and is prepared each day. Unlike European dining you won’t find any lashings of butter, or heavy cream but Cambodian people still manage to serve up hearty and delicious food.
Three meals a day is recommended, but we bet that you will be nibbling away at all of the street food on offer. You’ll discover original dishes ranging from sweet pancakes and home-made ice creams, to river clams and tarantulas. Your gastronomic journey is solely dependent upon your bravery!
How about some crushed salted and fermented fish paste? Yes, that’s Pramok! You will definitely smell it before you see it but don’t let the pungent aroma fool you, this is really quite delicious. It is often served with rice and vegetables. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.
We give you some tips on the specialties of Cambodian cuisine, however, we don’t tell you everything, we prefer to let you discover by yourself all the richness of this gastronomy…
Samla chapek: A pork soup with ginger. It’s very popular in the countryside and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Amok: This popular dish can be made with chicken, or fish according to your taste and is often accompanied by spiced coconut milk. You will normally have it served to you wrapped in a banana leaf.
Bai sach chrouk: This grilled pork & rice dish is available at every corner with some people even considering it to be the typical Cambodian breakfast.
The kdam chaa: Consisting of fried crab, fish and green pepper, you will find this dish in coastal cities such as Kep. It’s sweet, spicy and definitely worth a trip down to the ocean! Don’t miss it if you’re going in the
south!
But please remember that our list is only there to guide you. There are so many more amazing foods to taste here. Go explore!
You always have to be aware when eating in Cambodia as hygiene practices are not always up to scratch. But don’t let that stop you when it comes to fruit! If it needs to be peeled, you are good to go!
You will find green mango, yellow mango, papaya and coconut. But the truly local fruits are dragon fruit, milk apples, mangosteen and rambutan! Make sure you try them all!But now it is time for you to strike out on your own and discover what you can about Cambodian culture and food!
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