Khmer cuisine (Khmer: ???????????????????????) or, more generally, Cambodian cuisine, is the traditional cuisine of the people of Cambodia. Average meals typically consists of more than one dish and ideally contrasts flavours, textures and temperatures within the meal using plenty of herbs, leaves, pickled vegetables, dipping sauces, edible flowers and other garnishes and condiments.
Rice is the staple food in 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.
Rice is eaten throughout the day in the form of street-side snacks, such as deep-fried rice cakes with chives and spinach, for breakfast, as in Cambodia's famous rice noodle soup kuyteav or rice porridge, and in many desserts. Plain white rice is served with nearly every family meal, typically served with grilled freshwater fish, a samlor or soup, and an assortment of seasonal herbs, salad leaves and vegetables.
Video 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 very heart 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. 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 flavor -- 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, ????) show a trace of cultural influence from India. The many variations of rice noodles show the influences from Chinese cuisine. Preserved lemons are another unusual ingredient not commonly found in the cooking of Cambodia's neighbors; it is used in some Khmer dishes to enhance the sourness. The Portuguese and Spanish also had considerable influence in Cambodian affairs in the 16th century, introducing chili and peanuts into Asia from the New World. However, chili 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 chili.
One legacy of French, 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 chili 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.
Maps Cambodian cuisine
Ingredients
Fermented Sauces
In Khmer cuisine, it distinguishes 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. In a sense, mam is the general term when referring to most kind of fermented ingredients created from aquatic animals. Prahok and kapi are popular based for sauces that refer to pickled aged ingredients. Both mam and prahok are aged to a minimum of 1 year in order to reach its full potential in taste, much like fish sauce. Fermented sauce are often eaten with high protein-based dishes or raw vegetables to help the body digest.
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 gourmands worldwide 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: ????) 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.
Kroeung
From India, Cambodians adapted the art of blending spices into a paste using many ingredients like cardamom, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and turmeric. Other native ingredients like lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, cilantro, and kaffir lime leaves are added to this mix to make a distinctive and complex spice blend called "kroeung." Other ingredients for kroeung used by Khmers in America are lemongrass, turmeric powder, garlic, prahok, and lemon leaf. This is an important aromatic paste commonly used in Cambodian cooking.
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 (??). 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 (?????????), mostly shakes. Popular fruits for shakes are durian, mangoes, bananas.
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 and fish forms 60% of the Cambodian intake of proteins. 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 (???????) are a favourite with plain rice porridge. The popular Khmer dish called amok 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 Khmer sausages known as kwah ko (???????). Beef and chicken are stewed, grilled or stir fried. Seafood includes an array of shellfish such as clams, cockles, crayfish, shrimp and squid. Lobsters are not commonly eaten because of their price, but middle-class and rich Cambodians enjoy eating them at Sihanoukville. Duck roasted in Chinese char siu style is popular during festivals. More unusual varieties of meat include frog, turtle, and arthropods (including tarantulas); 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 (????????), which is a Cambodian variation of ch?o f?n with gravy. Unlike the Chinese styled ch?o f?n, the noodles are plated under the stir fry beef and vegetables and topped off with scrambled eggs. Burmese style noodles (??????, 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 (?????), julienned eggs, and sweet garlic fish sauce (which is actually not vegetarian) garnished with crushed peanuts. Mi Cha (????) 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 are the heart and tradition of Cambodian daily life and considered snacks rather than meals. 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 features of variety of noodles in which different types of noodles are exchangeable for different broths, such as Kuy Teav broth eaten with Mee Sua noodle or Lort. Khmer noodles have origins from Chinese influences and bear many the similarities to other noodles in Southeast Asia.
Samlor (Rice Soup) and Chhang 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
Southern Khmer/Khmer Krom Dishes
The Khmer Krom are ethnic Khmer indigenous to large areas of what is today southern Vietnam. Khmer Krom cuisine is a fusion of traditional Khmer cooking with locally available ingredients and Vietnamese influences. Khmer culture is also especially influential in the Vietnamese cuisine of southern Vietnam. This is most evident in the sweetness of Vietnamese food and the wider variety of tropical herbs that are now shared by both Vietnam and Cambodia since the 17th century when Vietnam took control of the Mekong Delta region away from the remnants of the Khmer Empire. As a result, traditional Khmer cooking is an important component of Vietnam's diverse cuisine.
- H? ti?u Nam Vang: Meaning Phnom Penh rice noodle, is a common breakfast snack of Khmer-Chinese origin. It features a wet and dry version and typically uses pork with additions of dark soy and daikon and carrot.
- Bún Num Bò Chóc: Also called "Bún Cá Campuchia" or "Bún Cá Nam Vang" (Nam Vang meaning Phnom Penh). Is the Khmer Krom variation of Num Banh Chok. It differs in the broth that is used, which is saltier than in Cambodia and a lesser variety of vegetables.
- Bún Kèn An Giang: A red curry variation of Khmer Num Banh Chok rice noodle dish that is a specialty of An Giang. The dish features chicken legs, herbs, and a lesser variety of greens. The word "Kèn" is a unique Khmer Krom word referring to the coconut water that is added into the dish. This dish highly resembles Laos' Khao Poon.
- Bún Riêu B?c Liêu: Known in Khmer Krom as "Num Banh Chok Tuek K'dam Pol Leav (B?c Liêu province having its origin etymology from Khmer Pol Leav) is crab based dish rice noodle soup, specialty of Western region of Vietnam (Mi?n Tây).
- Bún N??c Lèo: Another variation of Khmer Num Banh Chok with fusion Chinese influences. It is a specialty of Trà Vinh, Sóc Tr?ng, and Cà Mau, areas with large Khmer populations. The broth use is simple to Num Banh Chok and served alongside banana blossom (pka chek/hoa chu?i), roasted pork (Chrouk Kvay/ Hèo quay), and fried spring roll (Chai Yor/ Ch? giò).
- M?m Bò Hóc: A variation of prahok, a Khmer-style fish paste that is used as an ingredient and condiment. It is used in various Vietnamese dishes such as l?u m?m and bún m?m.
- Bánh mì n??ng mu?i ?t (Num Pang Ang Prai M'tes): A common street snack from the Khmer people that has spread to Vietnam. The bread is braised with butter and hot sauce and grill, thought the style eaten differs from Cambodian and Vietnam.
- Bún Suông: A Khmer dish using the Suon (a yellow, orange substance) that is added into tapioca noodles.
- Chè Campuchia (Cha Houy): Or called Chè Th?ch D?a. It features the Khmer-style pudding of adding coconut milk and condense milk and a variety of jellies which is distinct from Vietnamese pudding. It also features the addition of fresh fruit and pumpkin custard and mixed together to create a variety of flavor and texture.
- Bánh C?ng (Num Kaong): A Khmer deep-fried shrimp cake that is made using a coconut ladle made by traditional carving techniques. This cake is often added in noodle dishes to add saltiness and texture.
- Bánh pía (Num pia): A Chinese-Khmer cake, a speciality of Sóc Tr?ng.
- Bánh c?m d?p (Om Bok): A Khmer pounded-rice grain dessert that is consume during the Khmer Dragon Boat/Moon Festival during the months of October/November (Bon Khae Ok Om Bok/ L? Tr?ng Óc Ôm Bóc). The dish symbolizes togetherness and connection and are also offered to the moon through floating candle light lanterns with flowers, to wish for a good rice harvest.
- L?p x??ng Xiêm Ri?p (Kwah Sach Siem Reap): Khmer Siem Reap style preserved meat that come in beef and pork varieties. These are imported through Cambodian Markets and popular consumption with sticky rice.
- Bò Khô/Cá Khô: A Khmer variation of beef jerky and fish jerky. The meats are dry and salted.
- Bánh bò th?t n?t (Num A Kao Thnaot): A Khmer version of Bánh bò featuring the use of sugar palm, an ingredient use extensively in Khmer cuisine.
- C?m Lam (Kralan): A Khmer, Laos, and Thai sticky rice snack that is grilled in bamboo shoot. The Khmer Krom variation features green and purple-dyed rice made from the extraction of plant.
- Hoa S?u ?âu: A watercress plant that is boiled and served with rice and fish paste or shrimp paste. It is an important addition in Khmer meals because the stems burn fat and add a crunchy texture.
- R??u Th?t N?t (Sra Thnaot): A type of fermented alcoholic beverage made with the use palm sugar to add a sweet and less stronger taste.
- Rang n?p: A special variety of rice that is roasted within a pot until fragrant. It is often served multiple plates within a round table for holiday occasions.
- Bánh ?ng Sóc Tr?ng : A speciality street food cake of Sóc Tr?ng made by the c?m d?p of the Khmer people. When heated in a wok, the pounded rice grains form a sort of crepe that is folded and top off with coconut shavings.
References
Further reading
- de Monteiro, Longteine; Neustadt, Katherine (1 November 1998), The Elephant Walk Cookbook: The Exciting World of Cambodian Cuisine from the Nationally Acclaimed Restaurant, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 978-0-395-89253-4, archived from the original on 3 February 2010. *The Elephant Walk Cookbook is the best-known English-language reference on Cambodian cuisine, and has been an important cultural record, as many of the more elaborate recipes died out in Cambodia following the communist takeover, and have been revived based on The Elephant Walk Cookbook.
External links
- Khmer Krom Recipes
- Fruits and Vegetables of Cambodia
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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