Cambodian cuisine

History and influences

Water, rice and freshwater fish exert the most profound influences on Khmer cuisine. The Mekong river, the twelfth longest in the world, cuts through the middle of Cambodia. The capital Phnom Penh is on its riverbank, at the junction where two other rivers meet: the Tonle Sap and Bassac. The Tonle Sap river connects the Mekong with the Tonle Sap lake, or Great Lake, which acts as a liquid heart and natural reservoir for the entire Mekong river system, regulating the flow of huge volumes of water, and allowing the safe passage of an astonishing number of freshwater fish. The lake itself is believed to have more fish than any other in the world and ranks second to the Amazon river in biodiversity.

When the rainy season begins at the start of the Khmer New Year, the region becomes inundated with monsoonal rain and Cambodia turns into a vast ocean of emerald rice-paddies. Rice is the staple food of Cambodia, and it is part of every meal, both as an accompaniment and used as an ingredient for many dishes. According to the International Rice Research Institute, there are 2,000 rice varieties indigenous to Cambodia that were developed over centuries by Cambodian rice farmers. The geographical setting of wetlands (Cambodia ranks second to Bangladesh for the largest amount of wetland in Asia) and floodplains explains why water, and hence fish and rice (which grow in water) are such an integral component to the cuisine. Many dishes, in particular, the samlors, have a pond-like appearance, and are often loaded with reed-like plants, leaves, and vegetables, mirroring the surrounding landscape. Dipping sauces tend to be quite watery, as are most Cambodian curries.

Khmer cuisine shares many commonalities with the food of neighbouring Thailand—although, less chilli, sugar and coconut cream are used for flavour—and of neighboring Vietnam, with which it shares and adopts many common dishes, as well as a colonial history, as both formed part of the French colonial empire in Southeast Asia. It has drawn upon influences from the cuisines of China and France, powerful players in Cambodian history. The Chinese began arriving in the 13th century, but Chinese migration accelerated during the French period. Curry dishes, known as Kari (in Khmer, ការី) show a trace of cultural influence from India. The many variations of rice noodles show the influences from Chinese cuisine. The Portuguese and Spanish also had considerable influence in Cambodian affairs in the 16th century, introducing chilli and peanuts into Asia from the New World. However, chilli never gained the same status or prominence as it did with the cuisines of neighboring Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia. Even today very few recipes include chilli.

One legacy of French cuisine, the baguette—known as nom pang in Khmer—is ubiquitous in all parts of Cambodia today. Cambodians often eat bread with pâté, tinned sardines or eggs. One of these with a cup of strong coffee, sweetened with condensed milk, is an example of a common Cambodian breakfast. Freshly buttered baguettes can be made into sandwiches (also called nom pang) and may be stuffed with slices of ham or any number of grilled meats, with Kampot pepper, similar to Vietnamese banh mi. The French also introduced beer, butter, pate, coffee, chocolate, onions, carrots, broccoli, potatoes and many other types of non-native produce Southeast Asia.

Traditionally, Cambodians eat their meals with at least three or four dishes. A meal will usually include a soup, or samlor, served alongside the main courses. Each individual dish will be either sweet, sour, salty or bitter in taste. Chilli (fresh, pickled or dried) and chilli sauce is served on the side and left up to individual diners and to their taste. In this way, Cambodians ensure that they get a bit of every flavor to satisfy their palates.

Fermented sauces

In Khmer cuisine, a distinction is made between fermented paste-based ingredients and pickled ingredients. Mam refers to fish or shrimp that has been fermented in a particular technique and is usually includes more solid pieces of the pickled animal. Mam is the general term for most kinds of fermented ingredients created from aquatic animals. Prahok and kapi are popular bases for sauces with pickled aged ingredients. Both mam and prahok are aged for a minimum of one year in order to reach the full taste potential, much like fish sauce. Fermented sauces are often eaten with high protein-based dishes or raw vegetables to aid digestion.

Spices

Black pepper is the preferred choice when heat is wanted in a dish; it is used in stir fries, soups, marinades for grilled meats, and dipping sauces. Pepper has a long history in Cambodia, having been grown since at least the 13th century, while the pungent, aromatic variety from Kampot province (bordering Vietnam's Ha Tien province and the Gulf of Thailand to the south, and the jungle-clad Elephant Mountains to the north) was once Cambodia's chief export from the late 1800s up till the 1960s.

Kampot pepper was once known as the King of Peppers, revered by gourmets worldwide, especially known to Parisian chefs, for its floral and eucalyptus notes, its heady aroma, its musky heat, and its medicinal properties. Before the 1970s, Kampot pepper was used in all French restaurants for the classic dish steak au poivre. Today, the pepper industry is being revitalised and, since acquiring protected Geographic Indication status in 2008 (which gives it the same special status as Champagne in France), people can purchase Kampot pepper online in many parts of the world.

Jungle cardamom, or wild cardamom, grows in the aptly named Cardamom Mountains in the southwest of the country, bordering the Gulf of Thailand coast to the south and Trat province in Thailand to the west. These vast mountains form some of the last remaining area of intact virgin rainforest in Southeast Asia and harbour extensive mangrove forests, elephants, tigers, Siamese crocodiles and other rare and endangered species, and few people live in this area. Locals use cardamom medicinally and in certain samlors, using the root of the plant as well as the pod. Turmeric (Khmer: រមៀត) is grown in Battambang province and is a common ingredient in many curry powders, soups and rice dishes. Saffron is also esteemed in local folk medicine as a treatment for many ailments, especially skin problems.

Tamarind is commonly employed as a soup base for dishes such as samlar machu. Star anise is a must when caramelizing meat in palm sugar like pork in the dish known as pak lov. Turmeric, galangal, ginger, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves are essential spices in Khmer cooking, Khmer stews, and nearly all curries.

Skor Thnaot ('Palm Sugar') is one of the main ingredient in Khmer dessert as well as some caramelizing dishes and Samlor (Khmer soup). It is made from the sap of the palm sugar tree. It is known for its rich aroma and a nicely brown color, which could make a nice ingredient of the dish. In 2016, Skor Thnaot Kompong Speu ('Kompong Speu Palm Sugar') was recognized as geographical indication in Cambodia and it then was recognized in European Union in 2019.

Kroeung

The result of freshly pounded spices, kroeung (គ្រឿង) is an important aromatic paste commonly used in Cambodian cooking. Unlike Indian spice pastes, it almost always uses fresh ingredients, principally lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots and turmeric. To this basic mix may be added finger root, lime zest or leaf, or rehydrated red pepper for "individual kroeung" used for specific dishes.

Vegetables

Many vegetables used in Khmer cuisine are also used in Chinese cuisine. Vegetables such as winter melon, bitter melon, luffa, water spinach and yardlong beans can be found in soups and stews. Oriental squash can be stewed, stir fried or sweetened and steamed with coconut milk as a dessert. Vegetables like mushrooms, cabbage, baby corn, bamboo shoots, fresh ginger, kai-lan ("Chinese kale"), snow peas, and bok choy are commonly used in many stir fry dishes. Together these stir fry dishes are known by the generic term chhar (ឆា). Banana blossoms are sliced and added to some noodle dishes like nom banh chok.

Fruits

Fruits in Cambodia are so popular that they have their own royal court. The durian is considered the "king", the mangosteen the "queen", sapodilla the "prince" and the milk fruit (phlae teuk doh ko) the "princess". Other popular fruits include the jan fruit, kuy fruit, romduol, pineapple, star apple, rose apple, coconut, palmyra fruit, jackfruit, papaya, watermelon, banana, mango and rambutan. Although fruits are usually considered desserts, some such as ripe mangoes, watermelon, and pineapples are eaten commonly with heavily salted fish with plain rice. Fruits are also made into beverages called tuk krolok (ទឹកក្រឡុក), mostly shakes. Popular fruits for shakes are durian, mangoes, bananas.

Since 2018, Krouch Thlong Koh Trung (Koh Trung Pomelo), a special citrus fruit (similar to a large grapefruit), is recognized as one of the geographical indications in Cambodia. That special Pomelo, grown in Koh Trung commune, is known because it is sweet rather than sour as normal citrus fruits do, and it contains no seeds once ripe.

Fish and meat

As the country has an extensive network of waterways, freshwater fish plays a large part in the diet of most Cambodians, making its way into many recipes. Daily fresh catches come from the Mekong River, Bassac River and the vast Tonlé Sap. Fish is far more common than meat in Khmer cuisine. Prahok itself is based on fish. Many of the fish eaten in Cambodia are freshwater fish from the Tonlé Sap or from the Mekong. Dried salted fish known as trei ngeat (ត្រីងៀត) are a favourite with plain rice porridge. The popular Khmer dish called Amok trey uses a kind of catfish steamed in a savoury coconut-based curry. The small fish known as Trey Dang Dau are very common and are often eaten deep-fried.

While freshwater fish is the most commonly used meat in the Cambodian diet, pork and chicken are also popular. Though not as common as in neighbouring Vietnam, vegetarian food is a part of Khmer cuisine and often favoured by more observant Buddhists.

Pork is quite popular in making sweet sausages known as Sach Krok.

Beef and chicken are stewed, grilled or stir fried. Seafood includes an array of shellfish such as crabs, clams, cockles, crayfish, shrimp and squid. Giant freshwater prawns, sometimes referred to as river lobsters, are not commonly eaten because of their price, but middle-class and rich Cambodians enjoy eating them. Duck roasted in Chinese char siu style is popular during festivals. More unusual varieties of meat include frog, turtle, and arthropods (including tarantulas) as well as insects such as crickets; these are difficult to find in Khmer cuisine abroad but are used in everyday dishes in Cambodia.

Noodles

Many elements of Cambodian noodle dishes were inspired by Chinese and Vietnamese cooking despite maintaining a distinct Khmer variation. Prahok is never used with noodle dishes. Rice stick noodles are used in mee katang (មីកាតាំង), which is a Cambodian variation of chǎo fěn with gravy. Unlike the Chinese styled chǎo fěn, the noodles are plated under the stir fry beef and vegetables and topped off with scrambled eggs. Burmese style noodles (មីកុឡា, Mee Kola) is a vegetarian dish made from thin rice stick noodles, steamed and cooked with soy sauce and garlic chives. This is served with pickled vegetables Jroak (ជ្រក់), julienned eggs, and sweet garlic fish sauce (which is actually not vegetarian) garnished with crushed peanuts. Mi Cha (មីឆា) is stir fried egg noodles.

Popular dishes

Cambodian street foods (m'houp tam plouv) are a combination of influences from China and Southeast Asia. There exist a variety that are often not known to people outside of Cambodia. Street food is considered a snack rather than a meal. Food stalls are called hang or tiam, a Khmer word borrowed from Chinese háng ("store", "business") or hang bai (bai means "rice" or "food") and in order to identify the specific food for sale, food eateries are addressed as Hang/Tiam Kuy Teav (Rice Noodle Stall) or Hang/Tiam Kafe (Coffee Stall), for example.

Noodle soups

Cambodian cuisine features a variety of noodles in which different types of noodles are used in different broths, such as kuy teav broth eaten with mee sua noodle or lort. Khmer noodles have origins from Chinese influences and bear many similarities to other noodles in Southeast Asia.

Samlor (soup/stew) and chhnang plerng (hotpot)

Samlor refers to soup dishes that are eaten with rice and Sup refer to dishes that can be eaten without the need of rice, these usually being dishes of Chinese or European origin. Chhang Plerng refers to the general term of Hotpot that are popular eaten during the dry "cold" season (winter) and during late night gatherings.

Chha (stir-fried dishes) and rice dishes

The term chha refers to stir-frying techniques introduced by Chinese immigrants (from Hokkien Tshá).

Nhoam (Salads), Rolls, and Chamhoy (Steamed Foods)

Num (Pastries)

Bai Damnaeb (Sticky Rice Dishes) and Kiev (Dumplings)

Cha Houy (Jelly) and Babor P'aem (Pudding)

Cambodian cuisine features a variety of desserts similar to its Southeast Asian neighbors. Its assortment of puddings are called Cha Houy Tuek ("jelly") or Babor P'aem ("sweet porridge") depending on the ingredients of the dish. Agar Agar jelly desserts are collectively called "Sarai".

Beverages