Exploring the Cuisine of Cambodia

Many travellers who find their way to Cambodia (tours of the country are becoming increasingly popular) will end up sampling a fair variety of the country's diverse, delicious, and sometimes curious, cuisine. From the simple, staple rice dishes to rich, bubbling curry sauces, Cambodian food - or Khmer cuisine - is some of the tastiest in all of Asia. The following are some of the most popular types of dishes.

Fish

The Mekong River, Bassac River, and the Tonlé Sap in Cambodia are hotbeds for many different kinds of fish. As a consequence, a huge variety of fish dishes and fish products are found in Cambodia. Tours to the country can allow you the opportunity to sample many of these popular types of cuisine. Trey Dang Dau, a small type of fish which is customarily eaten deep-fried, is particularly popular, as are shrimp, cockles, and crayfish. Often, the fish in Cambodia is made into prahok (a fermented salty fish paste) in order to preserve it for longer. Interestingly, according to official records, the amount of fish consumed in Cambodia in the year 2000 alone was 20kg per person!

Fruit

Fruits are enormously popular throughout Cambodia. In fact, they have their own royal court! The king of fruits is the durian and the mangosteen is the queen; whereas the sapodilla is the prince and the milk fruit is the princess. Also popular is kuy fruit, jackfruit, jan fruit, pineapple, coconut, banana, mango, and rambutan. It is quite common, in Cambodia, for these fruits to be made into delicious fruit shakes.

Meat

Like many other countries, chicken and pork and hugely popular meats in Cambodia. Tours to almost any town and village in Cambodia will expose you to these types of cuisine. Chances are, visitors to the country will be able to sample the delicious Cambodian sausages, which are known as twah ko. Chinese-style roasted duck also features prominently in the local diet, and it is especially popular during the festival season. Other varieties of meat - which are certainly of the more unusual kind - include turtle, frog, and even tarantula!

Noodles

Noodle dishes are prevalent in Cambodia, drawing inspiration from the cuisine of China and Vietnam. However, they are often made distinct with a Khmer twist - incorporating the likes of gravy, scrambled eggs, sweet garlic fish sauce, and crushed peanuts.

Vegetables

Vegetables which are used in Chinese cooking are also used widely in Cambodia. Tours to local markets will reveal an expansive selection of vegetables on offer, including both bitter and winter melon, bamboo shoots, yardlong, bok choy and luffa beans. These ingredients are commonly used in Cambodian soups and stews. More conventional vegetables (in a Western sense) are also used - primarily in stir fries. These include cabbage, mushrooms, corn, ginger, and peas.

Andrew Mulvaney works for Tucan Travel, an award-winning provider of high-quality Cambodia tours and other adventure tours to destinations such as Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Cambodia tours from Tucan Travel take you out of your comfort zone and immerse you in a thrilling, faraway land.

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