Cambodia – a cuisine influenced by others
There are few countries, which have had as many culinary influences as Cambodia. China introduced it to steam cooking, the use of soya and noodles. India has passed on its curries; France, the recipe for its baguettes, waffles and other delights.
As a result, the Khmers now have multicultural cuisine, revealing a mixture of amazing, seductive tastes, with subtle combinations and juxtapositions of sweet, savoury, bitter and sour. Moreover, prevailing wisdom here being that if the dish is colourful and harmonious, the taste will be all the more subtle, the ingredients chosen represent as many different colours on a painter’s palette: gleaming red chilli peppers, orange shrimps on a white coconut background, and so on.
For a more detailed look at Khmer cuisine, it is important to know that the lush rice fields and many waterways supply the two main ingredients: rice and fish. Many Cambodians are unable to go without their daily dose of rice, beginning with the “bobor” (rice porridge), a genuine national institution served morning, noon and night.
As a general rule, fish is presented in pieces, rolled in a lettuce or spinach leaf, then dipped in a sauce called “tuk trey” that is like nuoc mam but with peanuts too. One of the best Khmer recipes is “amoc”, a fish which is oven-baked in a banana leaf with coconut, lemon grass and chilli pepper.
Cambodians also eat meat, poultry and game. Typical dishes which are particularly appreciated include “Loc Lac” - tender beef marinated with cornflour, lemon juice, garlic and Chinese wine, served with fried rice.
It should be noted that a Cambodian meal almost always includes soup (“samlor”) served at the same time as the other dishes.
Along with desserts such as banana with coconut milk and tapioca or soybean cake, generous baskets of tasty fruits are a very pleasant way to round off a meal. In addition to the great classics (pineapple, banana, mango and so on), there is also the imposing jackfruit (“khnau”), which hides a very sweet yellow flesh beneath its thick green skin; the mangosteen (“mongkut”) whose white flesh has an exquisite taste, and the durian (“tourain”) with a very creamy centre!
Lastly, to accompany the dishes, along with palm wine, “choum” (a rice-based spirit) and Angkor (local beer), there is the obligatory cold tea and “tikalok”, a refreshing, nourishing drink which is a mixture of fruit, crushed ice, eggs, milk and sugar.
As tasty as Khmer cooking!
