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The beauty of Cambodia goes far beyond the famous Angkor Wat
ruins or the charm of the Khmer people's simple life style. The
country's food culture is also not to be missed. In the Khmer diet,
rice and freshwater fish play big roles because of the abundance of
both. Cambodia has two main sources of natural fresh water, the
Mekong river and the Tonle Sap, a huge lake connected to the Mekong.
In the monsoon season, The Tonle Sap floods some 16,000 square
kilometres of the country, irrigating rice fields and providing
breeding grounds for fish.
Cambodian cuisine, though uniquely Khmer, draws heavily on the
traditions of both its Thai neighbours and Chinese residents. An oft-repeated
generalisation which is, nevertheless pretty accurate, likens
Cambodian food to Thai food but without the spiciness. The main
national staple is of course rice, but French colonial influence has
dictated that the Cambodians eat more bread--generally French-style
baguettes--than any other Southeast Asian country. Because of the
country's incredible richness in waterways including the Mekong, Sap
and Bassac Rivers, not to mention the Tonlé Sap, freshwater
fish and prawns are especially popular--in addition to which plenty
of fresh seafood is available from the Gulf of Thailand. Beef, pork,
chicken, duck and other poultry are widely available but generally
more expensive than fish dishes, whilst other less well known
Cambodian delicacies include locusts, field rats, snakes and land
crabs.
Soup is served as an accompaniment to almost all Cambodian meals,
though it is always served with the main dishes, not before as in the
West. Some of the better-known soup dishes include somlar machou
banle (sour fish soup), somlar machou bangkang (sour and spicy prawn
soup, akin to Thai tom yam gung), somlar chapek (pork soup with
ginger) and mon sngor (chicken and coriander soup). Num banh choc
(rice noodle and fish soup) is a common and popular Cambodian
breakfast.
Other common dishes include khao poun (rice noodles in a
coconut-based sauce), hamok (fish with coconut milk steamed in a
banana leaf), sach mon chha khnhei (stir-fried chicken with ginger),
somlar machou sachko (sour beef stew) and choeeng chomni chrouc chean
(fried pork spareribs). An sam chruk (pork & soybeans marinated
in ginger and chilli) can be delicious, but packs a fairly hefty
punch. Similarly watch out for pong tea kon (fertilised duck egg
containing an embryo, like the Filipino balut) which is not to
everybody's taste. Many dishes are served trey, or grilled. Thus trey
aing (grilled fish) is available just about everywhere, as is trey
chean neung spey (fried fish with vegetables). By extension, trey mon
is grilled chicken, trey sachko is grilled beef, and so on. Fish and
meat dishes not served with noodles are generally accompanied by
rice. Indispensable condiments--certainly as far as the Cambodians
are concerned--are prahoc (fish sauce just like Thai nam pla and
Vietnamese nuoc mam) and tuk trey (fish sauce with ground, roasted
peanuts added).
Typical Khmer dishes
Amok
Catfish with curry, steamed in banana leaf cups. Another common form
is amok chouk - snails with curry steamed in their shells.
Sngao Chruok Moan
Sour chicken soup with herbs.
Sieng Khtih
Fermented soy bean dip, served with fresh vegetables.
Samla Mchou Kroeung Sach Ko
Spiced beef in sour soup.
Sngao Mreah
Soup with bitter gourd stuffed with minced pork.
Num Sang Khya Lpeou
Pumpkin custard made with egg yolks, palm sugar and coconut milk.
Num Chak
Sticky rice and coconut grilled in Chak leaf
Drinks
It's always best to drink bottled water in Cambodia. The traveller
should also beware of ice of unknown provenance, particularly up
country or at street stalls. Soft drinks like cola and lemonade
manufactured by internationally known companies are available
everywhere, as is canned and bottled beer. International beers to
look for are Carlsberg, Heineken, Tiger, ABC, Victoria Bitter,
Fosters, San Miguel and Singha; local brands include Angkor, Angkor
Stout and Bayon. Draft Angkor is available in Phnom Penh,
Sihanoukville and Siem Reap. Imported wine--shades of Cambodia's
colonial past--is similarly available in major towns, whilst domestic
varieties promising strength and virility are widespread. Caution
should be exercised with fresh fruit juices and sugar cane juice, but
cartons and cans of fruit juice, milk and drinking yoghurt are
available on supermarket shelves in the capital and at Sihanoukville.
Coffee--often very good--and tea are generally available throughout
the country.
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