Cambodian cuisine

Cambodian cuisine is an umbrella term for the cuisines of all ethnic groups in Cambodia, whereas Khmer cuisine ( km, សិល្បៈធ្វើម្ហូបខ្មែរ; ) refers specifically to the more than thousand years old culinary tradition of the Khmer people. Over centuries, Cambodian cuisine has incorporated elements of Indian, Chinese and more recently French cuisine, and due to some of these shared influences and mutual interaction, it has many similarities with the neighbouring Thai, Vietnamese and Lao cuisines.

Khmer cuisine can be classified into peasant, elite and royal cuisine, although the difference between the royal and popular cuisine is not as pronounced as in the case of Thailand and Laos. The royal and elite dishes use more varied and higher quality ingredients, and contain more meat, while the peasant food is made from simpler and more accessible ingredients.

History

Because of Cambodia's geographic location, rice and fish, especially freshwater fish, are the two most important sources of nutrients in the Cambodian diet. Rice is a staple food generally eaten at every meal. It is believed to have been cultivated in the territory of Cambodia since 5,000 to 2,000 B.C. The advanced hydraulic engineering developed during the Khmer Empire allowed the Khmer to harvest rice and other crops three to four times a year. According to the International Rice Research Institute, there are approximately 2,000 rice varieties indigenous to Cambodia bred over the centuries by the Cambodian rice farmers. One of them – "Malys Angkor" (, ) – has been regarded the world's best rice.

Many spices in Khmer cuisine were introduced by the Indian merchants around the 2nd century. The Indian influence on cuisine among other aspects of Khmer culture was already noted by a Chinese visitor around 400 AD. The trace of Indianization can be seen in the coconut-based curries (, ), as well as boiled red and white sweets. The Chinese began arriving in Khmer Empire in the 13th century, bringing their cuisine with them, from which Cambodian cuisine adopted an extensive use of noodles and stir frying.

From the 9th to the 15th century the culinary influence of the growing Khmer Empire spread beyond the borders of modern-day Cambodia into what is now Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The Khmer palace food developed into a refined royal cuisine and through the Khmer royal cooks brought to the Ayutthaya Kingdom strongly influenced the Thai royal cuisine. The original Khmer palace recipes were modified in the Ayutthaya Kingdom, where during the reign of King Narai they also acquired a Portuguese influence and were eventually reintroduced back into Cambodia as the Siamese armies attacked into Cambodia. New Zealand Cambodian chef Kethana Dunnet has even dubbed Cambodian cuisine "the original Thai cuisine".

In the 17th century, the Portuguese and Spanish began introducing various new food crops, such as tomatoes, papaya, pineapple, corn, potato, sweet potato, cassava and chilli from the Americas that were incorporated into local dishes, while the French introduced pâté, salads, wine, coffee, asparagus and baguettes. After the Vietnamese annexation of Cambodia in 1834 and during the period of Vietnamese-controlled People's Republic of Kampuchea from 1979 to 1989 Khmer cuisine was subjected to Vietnamization, adopting dishes such as beef lok lak.

In the decades after World War II, many Cambodian urban middle-class and elite families employed cooks trained to prepare French dishes, and the children of these households often did not learn cooking themselves. The transmission of Cambodian traditional culinary knowledge was even more disrupted by the subsequent war, starvation and refugee crisis in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1975 when the Khmer Rouge gained power the rice production in Cambodia had dropped by 84% in comparison with 1970, and the policies of the Khmer Rouge (such as the ban of private cultivation of food crops, ban of foraging, ban of private ownership of foodstuff, ban of private cooking and ban of private eating combined with the unattainable rice production quotas, forced labour and insufficient food rations) resulted in one of the deadliest famines in modern history, during which from 1975 to 1979 an estimated 500,000 to 1.5 million Cambodians perished (10–20% of the country's population).

Nowadays, more and more Asian fast food chains (such as The Pizza Company, Lotteria, Pepper Lunch, Yoshinoya and Bonchon) and Western fast food chains (such as Burger King, KFC, Krispy Kreme and Carl's Jr.) are entering the Cambodian market, especially in Phnom Penh, and fast food is becoming increasingly integrated into the Cambodian food scene, particularly among the younger generation. In 2004 Malis, the first Cambodian fine dining restaurant in Phnom Penh, was opened. Since the early 2010s there has been an emerging grassroots culinary movement in Siem Reap termed "New Cambodian Cuisine" loosely consisting of six Cambodian chefs and restaurateurs (Pola Siv, Sothea Seng, Pol Kimsan and Sok Kimsan, Mengly Mork and Pheak Tim) experimenting with and modernizing traditional Cambodian dishes. More recently, mobile applications dedicated to Khmer traditional recipes have also been developed, such as "Khmer Cooking Recipe" downloaded more than 100,000 times on Google Play and "Khmer Cooking".

In the United States

Since the late 1970s, approximately 200,000 Cambodians have settled in the United States of America, nearly half in Southern California, fleeing the Khmer Rouge and the following economic and political turmoil in Cambodia. Cambodian Americans own about 9,000 businesses, predominantly restaurants and grocery stores catering to the local Cambodian American community. Interestingly, Cambodian Americans own around 90% of the 5,000 independently owned doughnut shops in California. The most successful of them was Ted Ngoy who at the peak of his success owned about 70 doughnut shops in California and was nicknamed "The Donut King".

Over time the food cooked by Cambodians in the United States developed into a distinct Cambodian American variety. Meat, especially beef and chicken, plays a much more central role in Cambodian American meals, which also make much more extensive use of tomatoes and corn. The unhealthy eating habits, such as consumption of fatty meat, and obesity rates are higher for the Cambodian Americans who experienced a more severe food deprivation and insecurity in the past. The food of second and third generation Cambodian Americans has become more Americanized. Cambodian cuisine is not well known within the United States and is usually compared to Thai food by many Americans. Most Cambodian restaurants are located in cities with a significant Cambodian population, such as Lowell, Massachusetts, Long Beach, California and Seattle, Washington. Some of the Cambodian-owned restaurants, however, served other Asian cuisines, especially Thai and Chinese, whereas in the ones that served Cambodian cuisine Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese-influenced dishes usually dominated over Khmer dishes.

Long Beach, California has the most Cambodian restaurants in the U.S. – twenty two, including Phnom Penh Noodle Shack and Sophy's. Some Cambodian-owned restaurants in the city, such as Little La Lune Cuisine and Crystal Thai Cambodian, serve Thai food, while others, such as Hak Heang or Golden Chinese Express, serve Chinese food. Lowell, Massachusetts, has at least twenty Cambodian restaurants, among them Tepthida Khmer and Simply Khmer. Other notable Cambodian restaurants include Sok Sab Bai in Portland, as well as Phnom Penh Noodle House and Queen's Deli in Seattle. The most famous Cambodian restaurant in the U.S. is The Elephant Walk serving French-inspired Khmer cuisine. It was opened in 1991 in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Longteine de Monteiro. The restaurant also created a cookbook of the same name, which is the first Cambodian American cookbook.

In 2000 a part of Central Long Beach was officially designated as Cambodia Town, where since 2005 an annual parade and culture festival takes place there that also features Cambodian cuisine. Since the late 2010s there has been an emerging wave of second-generation Cambodian American chefs and restaurants in the U.S. focusing on Cambodian cuisine. Among them is the award-winning restaurant Nyum Bai opened in Fruitvale, Oakland, California in 2018 by chef Nite Yun.

Among other Southeast Asian cuisines

Due to extended culinary contacts and shared extraregional influences from India, China and France, modern Cambodian cuisine has many similarities with the neighbouring Thai, Vietnamese and Lao cuisines. Nowadays, the flavour principles of many Khmer dishes, such as sour fish soups, stews and coconut-based curries, including fish amok, are very similar to Central Thai cuisine, although Khmer dishes contain much less chilli and sugar and make greater use of aromatic herbs and spices. Both Thai and Khmer royal cuisines use special herbal spice pastes for curries, soups, and stews.

Khmer cuisine has relatively less in common with Northeast Thai and Lao cuisines, however, they all utilize a fish paste in their cooking (called '' prahok'' in Khmer, '' pla ra'' in Thai and '' padaek'' in Lao), which is believed to be a Khmer influence as both Laos and Northeast Thailand historically was part of the Khmer Empire. With Vietnamese and Lao cuisine it shares the French influence as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were all part of the French Indochina. Khmer dishes are less salty than Vietnamese food in general, and less sweet, sourer and more citrusy than South Vietnamese food. The ingredients and dishes of Mekong Delta's indigenous Khmer Krom, most notably spices (cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, clove, ginger, turmeric and ground coriander), curries and fermented food (such as ''mắm'' and ''mắm pò hóc''). have influenced the cuisine of modern-day Southern Vietnam.

Ingredients

Fermented sauces

In Khmer, a distinction is made between fermented seafood depending on its consistency and the ingredient. () is the general term for seafood fermented with a special technique and usually includes more solid pieces of the fermented ingredient, whereas '' prahok'' ( ប្រហុក, ) and '' kapi'' ( កាពិ, ) have more homogenous consistency than ''mam''.

is prepared by adding a mixture of salt, roasted red sticky rice and palm sugar to snakehead fillets and fermenting them for more than a year. The palm sugar and rice give ''mam'' an earthier and sweeter flavour and a reddish tone. ''Prahok'', on the other hand, can either be made from small fish with all the bones and less salt (called ''prahok chhoeung'') or large deboned fish and more salt (called ''prahok sach'' (, )), which in turn can be made from larger fish (such as the striped snakehead ()) or smaller fish (such as ''trei kamplienh''), with or without roe. Roe can be removed from the fish, cleaned, drained, and fermented separately. Lastly, ''kapi'' is made by pounding cleaned, dried and salted shrimp into a homogenous paste, sun-drying it for one day, pounding the paste again, sun-drying it for two more days and pounding the paste for the final time to attain a viscous consistency.

''Prahok'' is used as flavouring for almost every Khmer dish, mixed with rice or served as a dipping sauce ( ទឹកជ្រលក់, ). It can also be prepared into dishes of its own, such as ''prahok k'tis'' (, ), ''prahok kap'' (, ), ''teuk khreung'', ''teuk prahok'' ''prahok ang'' (, ), and ''prahok chien'' (, ). Fermented roe (, ) are primarily eaten with steamed eggs, omelettes and other hen or duck egg dishes. ''Kapi'' is often mixed with sugar, garlic, lime juice, chilli and crushed peanuts and used as a dipping sauce for vegetables, fruit, meat and fish.

Other sauces used in the Cambodian cuisine include fish sauce ( ទឹកត្រី, ), oyster sauce ( ទឹកប្រេងខ្យង, ), soy sauce ( ទឹកស៊ីអ៊ីវ, ; , ; , or , ), tamarind sauce ( ទឹកអម្ពិល, ) and hoisin sauce ( ទឹកសៀង. Fish sauce is an important ingredient in Khmer cooking, used to add saltiness to soups and noodle dishes, marinating meats or as a dipping sauce for fish. Oyster sauce was introduced by Chinese immigrants and has become a common ingredient in Cambodian cooking used to add a tangy-sweet flavour to meats and stir-fried vegetables. Oyster sauce, along with fish sauce, and soy sauce, is commonly used together when seasoning foods. Soy sauce is also a common ingredient and condiment, mixed with garlic or aged radish to be eaten with primarily high protein dishes, as well as used to add saltiness when fish sauce is not used. Tamarind sauce is made from tamarind paste mixed with fish sauce, garlic, chilli peppers, lime juice, palm sugar, and vinegar. Hoisin sauce is used to marinate grilled meat and especially for '' kuyteav'' or soups with hand pulled noodles.

Herbs and spices

The most common herbs and spices in Cambodian cuisine are sweet basil ( ជីរនាងវង, ), coriander (, ), hot mint (, ), turmeric ( រមៀត, ), garlic, ginger ( ខ្ញី, ), galangal ( រំដេង, ), kaffir lime leaves (ស្លឹក ក្រូចសើច, ), neem leaves (ស្លឹក ស្ដៅ, ), peppermint (, ), lemongrass ( ស្លឹកគ្រៃ, ), chives (, ), scallions, saw leaf herb (, ), fingerroot ( ខ្ខ្ជាយ, ) and rice paddy herb.

Certain regions in Cambodia are known for their spices. Kampot pepper and Kampong Speu palm sugar (, ) have been granted Geographical Indications in Cambodia and protected geographical indication in the European Union. Cardamom Mountains in Southwest Cambodia are famous for their large population of wild cardamon plants and Battambang Province for its turmeric.

The cultivation to peppercorns in Cambodia dates back to at least the 13th century and because of its "uniquely strong yet delicate aroma" and "slightly sweet, eucalyptus taste" Kampot pepper is often regarded as the world's best pepper.

''Kroeung''

''Kroeung'' (, – 'ingredients') is a Khmer fresh flavouring paste commonly used in curries, soups and stir-fries, one of the essential ingredients of Cambodian cuisine. The base of the paste consists of pounded lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, kaffir lime leaves and turmeric. There are five common types of ''kroeung'': yellow ''kroeung'' (''kroeung samlar m’chu''), green ''kroeung'' (''kroeung prâhoeur'') and red ''kroeung'' (''kroeung samlar kari''), as well as ''k’tis kroeung'' (''kroeung samlar k’tis''), and ''saraman kroeung'' (''kroeung samlar saraman'') each with different uses.

Vegetables

The Cambodian diet consists heavily of leaf vegetables, such as water morning glory (, ), cabbage (, ), Chinese kale (, ), betel (ស្លឹក ម្លូ, ), vine spinach (, ), and watercress (, ), which are used in soups, stir-fries ( ឆា, ) and salads.

Cambodian cuisine also uses different squashes, such as bitter melon ( ម្រះ, ), winter melon (, ), kabocha, and luffa (, ), root vegetables, such as carrots ( ការ៉ុត, ), cassava (, ), lotus rhizomes (, ), potatoes ( ដំឡូង, ), radish (, ), sweet potatoes (, ) and jicama (, or ប៉ិកួៈ, ) and other vegetables, such as cucumbers ( ត្រសក់, ), eggplants ( ត្រប់, ), tomatoes ( ប៉េងប៉ោះ, ), cauliflower (, ), chayote (, ), shallots (, ), yardlong beans (, ) and maize ( ពោត, ). Many unripe fruits, such as papaya, green banana, and mango, are also used as vegetables.

Fruits

Fruits in Cambodia are so popular that they have their own royal court. The durian ( ទុរេន, ) is considered the "king", the mangosteen the "queen", sapodilla () the "prince" and the milk fruit (, ) the "princess". Other popular fruit include kuy fruit (, ), romduol, pineapple ( ម្នាស់, ), rose apple, jackfruit (ផ្លែ ខ្នុរ; ), papaya ( ល្ហុង, ), watermelon ( ឪឡឹក, ), banana ( ចេក, ), mango ( ស្វាយ, ), rambutan ( សាវម៉ាវ, ), guava (, ), longan ( មៀន, ) and tamarind ( អម្ពិល, ).

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 smoothies ( ទឹកក្រឡុក, ). Popular fruits for smoothies are durian, mangoes and bananas. Sun-dried limes boiled in sugar and salt water are used in chicken and duck soups, sauces with fish, as well as beverages.

Since 2018, Koh Trong pomelos (, ) are recognized as one of the geographical indications in Cambodia. Pomelos grown in the Kratié Province's Koh Trong commune are known for their sweeter taste and the absence of seeds after ripening.

Fish and meat

There are more than 900 different freshwater and saltwater fish species found in Cambodia. Approximately 475,000 tons of fish ( ត្រី, ) are caught in Cambodia every year and a Cambodian annually consumes 63 kg of fish on average. They are fried, dried, smoked and fermented into ''prahok'' and fish sauce. Fish and fish products are eaten two to three times a day. Popular fish are snakeheads, snappers, catfishes ( ត្រី, ), and mackerels. Cambodian chef Luu Meng has estimated that approximately 40–50% of Cambodian dishes are made with fish.

It is known that in the late-13th century Khmer Empire cows were not used for riding, meat or hide, and the geese had been recently introduced by the Chinese sailors. Since the 1980s, the role of meat in the Cambodian diet has increased significantly and nowadays the consumption of meat, such as beef (, ), pork (, ) and poultry, has become common, especially in the capital region. In Siem Reap ground pork or beef is made into spicy or sweet and savoury sausages (, (pork); , (beef)) that are eaten with steamed white rice, congee or baguettes. Beef and chicken (, ) is stewed, grilled or stir-fried, while duck meat (, ) roasted in '' char siu'' style, is popular during festivals.

Other seafood includes an array of shellfish such as crabs ( ក្ដាម, ), clams, cockles ( ងាវ, ), crayfish ( បង្កង, ), shrimp and squid ( ត្រីមឹក, ). Boiled or fried cockles seasoned with salt, chili, and garlic are sold as a popular street food. Giant freshwater prawns are usually only eaten by middle and upper-class Cambodians because of their price. More unusual varieties of meat include frogs ( កង្កែប, ; most commonly eaten are East Asian bullfrogs, rice field frogs, balloon frogs, banded bullfrogs, yellow frogs and Asian common toads), turtles ( អណ្ដើក, ) and arthropods (such as tarantulas (, ), fire ants, grasshoppers ( កណ្ដូប, ), giant water bugs and crickets ( ចង្រិត, )). Crickets, water bugs, and tarantulas are seasoned with salt, sugar and oil, deep-fried and sold as street food.

Noodles

Cambodian noodles are made out of rice, wheat and tapioca flour ('' banh kanh'' (, )) in varying thickness. Wheat noodles, such as hand-pulled noodles (, ) and the thinner wheat vermicelli (, ), have been adopted from the Chinese cuisine, but incorporated into distinct Cambodian noodle soups and stir-fries. Rice noodles include the indigenous lightly-fermented ''num banhchok'' (), as well as rice vermicelli (, ), '' banh sung'' (, ), silver needle noodles (, ) and '' banh hoi'' ().

Dishes

In Cambodia, street food ( ម្ហូបតាមផ្លូវ) is considered a snack rather than a meal. Food stalls are called ''hang bai'' ( ហាងបាយ) or simply ''hang'' () in Khmer, which is a borrowing from Chinese ''háng'' ("store", "business"). More specifically the stalls are referred to by the main food served, for example, rice noodle stalls (, ) or coffee stalls ( ហាងកាហ្វេ, ).

Noodle soups

; Dumpling noodle soup (, ): A Cambodian rendition of the Chinese wonton noodles. The broth is clear topped with garlic chives and the dumplings are filled with seasoned minced pork and shrimp. Variations are often served with wheat vermicelli, a mixture of rice-wheat noodles or flat rice noodles (, ).

; '' Kuyteav'' ( គុយទាវ, ): A popular Chinese Cambodian breakfast rice vermicelli soup with meat (chicken, beef or pork) garnished with bean sprouts, chopped scallions, chopped coriander, fish sauce, lime, and sriracha. It can either be served with all the garnish in the soup or the soup on the side. There are many regional variations of ''kuyteav''. In the Phnom Penh version (''kuyteav Phnom Penh'') pig blood, liver and heart are added, while near Mekong prawns and fish cakes are included. In modern versions of ''kuyteav'' pork is sometimes replaced with beef, seafood or chicken. It is similar to Vietnamese '' hủ tiếu'', Malaysian and Singaporean ''kway teow'' and Thai ''kuai tiao'' (ก๋วยเตี๋ยว).
; '' Kuyteav khor ko'' (): A rice noodle dish created from the stewed/braised beef combined with flat rice noodles. It features French influences including potatoes and carrots topped off with chives and coriander. It is eaten with bread as well. A similar dish exists in Vietnam called ''hủ tiếu bò kho''.

; ''Num banhchok'' (): A popular Cambodian breakfast soup, consisting of lightly fermented rice noodles with a fish gravy made from ''prahok'' and yellow ''kroeung'' topped off with fresh mint leaves, bean sprouts, green beans, banana flowers, cucumbers and other greens. There is also a red curry version usually reserved for ceremonial occasions and wedding festivities.

; ''Num banhchok samlar kari'' (): A rice noodle dish eaten with a Khmer curry soup. The curry may be yellow (turmeric soup base) or red (chilli curry soup base) depending on the type of soup created and generally include chicken (including legs) or beef, potatoes, onions, and carrots.
; ''Num banhchok samlar namya'' (): A rice noodle dish featuring a Thai sour soup base ( th, นำ้ยา, ) popular during festivals and family gatherings. It features the same vegetables and herbs in ''num banhchok teuk prahok'' () although the base is created with Thai green curry paste.
; ''Num banhchok Kampot'' (): A speciality of Kampot featuring a cold rice noodle salad rather than a soup base. It features cuts of spring rolls, a variety of herbs, ground nuts, pork, and fish sauce.
; ''Num banhchok teuk mrech'' (): A speciality soup of Kampot that features a clear fish broth (that does not feature the use of ''prahok'') cooked with chives and vegetables. It is a regional speciality not found in Phnom Penh and other parts of Cambodia where Khmer and Vietnamese varieties of ''num banhchok'' are eaten.
; ''Num banhchok samlar yuon'': A rice noodle soup originating from the Vietnamese Cambodians living in the urban areas of Cambodia. It is most similar to Vietnamese ''bún riêu'' featuring a red blood pork soup base and balls of minced crab meat. It also features more variety of herbs and vegetables not used in Vietnam.

Soups, stews and curries

''Samlar'' () refers to soup dishes that are eaten with rice, while the loanword ''sup'' () refers to dishes that can be eaten without rice, these usually being dishes of Chinese or French origin.



; Caramelized pork and eggs (, ): Braised pork and egg stew flavoured in caramelized palm sugar, fish sauce, and Kampot black peppercorns. It may contain tofu or bamboo shoots and often substitutes quail eggs for chicken eggs. A typical Khmer Krom dish.
; Curry soup (, ): An Indian-influenced Cambodian soup. It is a traditional wedding and celebration dish, featuring coconut chicken curry gently spiced with paprika, with a soup-like consistency, often cooked with sweet potatoes, and julienned onion. The soup is also used as a dipping sauce for fresh baguettes, while ''num banhchok samlar kari'' is often served for breakfast the next day, featuring the same ingredients to make ''num banhchok'' but using the ''samlar kari'' broth instead of the traditional turmeric and fish-based broth that goes into making ''num banhchok''.
; Congee (, ): A Cambodian dish of Chinese origin. A type of white rice porridge with or without meat (chicken, pork, fish, dried fish, seafood, snails, or frog legs) served with a wide array of condiments ( fish floss, pickled vegetables, fried garlic, fish sauce, chilli flakes, chilli oil, and fresh herbs).
; Hot pot (, – 'pot fire'): The most common form of hot pot in Cambodia contains shared meat and assorted vegetables cooked in a heated pot with a clear broth. There are different hot pot variations with other names and mixed influences from China. It is generally eaten during the colder dry season and during late-night gatherings. ''Chap chai'' soup eaten with hand pulled noodles or wheat vermicelli is called ''chhnang dei'', whereas a banquet-style hot pot for dipping beef, shrimp, spinach, dill, napa cabbage, rice noodles and mushrooms is called ''yao hon'' (). It differs from the standard Cambodian hot pot or other Asian hot pots in that it features a tangy coconut broth rather than a clear broth. ''Chhnang phnom plerng'' or volcano hot pot is a Cambodian-style barbecue similar to Lao and Thai counterparts. It is served on a hot pot attached to a grill that allows meat to cook and release juices into the broth, making the soup tastier over time.
; Koh Kong coconut-pineapple curry (, ): A Koh Kong speciality dish made out of red ''kroeung'', coconut cream, palm sugar and fish sauce with pieces of pineapple, eggplant, and shallots. Garnished with coriander and basil and eaten with steamed rice.
; Pickled lime soup with chicken ( ស្ងោរមាន់ង៉ាំង៉ូវ, ): A chicken and vegetable soup flavoured with pickled lime

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