Khmer Foods And Drinks

Khmer food is one of the major national identities that reflect the ways of life, thought, and mind of the Cambodian people which are hidden in the taste of consumption of meat dishes and sweet food. Cambodia has been rich in a variety of plants and crops since ancient times so that we could cook many types of foods suitable for each group of different people.

Food is one of our most basic needs. We cannot live without it. Food gives us the energy for everything we do – walking, talking, working, playing, reading, and even thinking and breathing. Food also provides the energy for our nerves, muscles, heart, and glands that need to work. In addition, food supplies the nourishing substances to our bodies requiring to build and repair tissues and to regulate body organs and systems.

All living things must have food to live. Green plants use the energy of sunlight to make food out of carbon dioxide (a gas in the air) and water and other substances from the soil. Other living things depend on the food made by green plants. The food that people and other animals eat comes chiefly from plants or from animals that eat plants. Food does more than help keep us alive, strong, and healthy. It also adds pleasure to living. We enjoy the flavors, odors, colors, and textures of foods. We celebrate special occasions with favorite meals and feasts. Favorite vegetables include beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, and sweet corn. Vegetables are commonly eaten during the main part of a meal. They may be served raw in a salad, cooked and served with a sauce, or added to a soup.

Khmer Foods

Cambodia food is closely related to the cuisines of neighboring Thailand and Laos and, to a lesser extent, Vietnam, but there are some distinct local dishes. The overall consensus is that Khmer cooking is like Thai without spicy. Curries, stir tried vegetable, rice, noodles and soups are staples of the Khmer diet.

Cambodia is well known in the region for its Prahok, a strong, fermented fish paste used in a variety of traditional dishes. Fresh serve bottled drinking water and tap water should never be drunk. Similarly, salad and fruit served at these establishments are safe. All Tours are based on full board arrangements. For full-day excursions, picnic lunch can be provided if no adequate restaurants are available.

Phnom Penh is far and away the best place to try inexpensive Khmer cuisine, though Siem Reap also has some good restaurants. One of the easiest and most affordable ways to acquaint yourself with Khmer cooking is to wander into the food stalls found in markets all over the country and simply sample each dish before deciding what to eat. In Phnom Penh you also have the choice of excellent Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, French and Mediterranean cooking.

Rice is the principal staple in Cambodia and the Battambang region is the country’s rice bowl. Most Cambodian dishes are cooked in a wok, known locally as a chhnang khteak.

Traditional Khmer Food

Samlor Kako

Samlor Kako is one of Cambodian national dishes. It uses an incredible range of ingredients to achieve its complex range of flavors, including the famous prahok or fermented fish cheese, which is unique to Khmer cuisine.

Unlike other Khmer dishes, this can be served as a one-pot dish because it is a reassuringly well balanced meal on its own. Some prefer it as a vegetarian dish where the fish and meat are omitted and replaced by coconut cream and vegetable stock

Samlor Kako is one of Cambodian national dishes. It uses an incredible range of ingredients to achieve its complex range of flavors, including the famous prahok or fermented fish cheese, which is unique to Khmer cuisine.

Unlike other Khmer dishes, this can be served as a one-pot dish because it is a reassuringly well balanced meal on its own. Some prefer it as a vegetarian dish where the fish and meat are omitted and replaced by coconut cream and vegetable stock

Khmer Sour Soup

A bowl of fresh Khmer sour soup helps the body feel refreshed and clean, leaving just enough room for dessert. Sour soup is among the most popular Khmer foods. For years, this vegetable stew has fed hardworking Cambodians, particularly in the countryside where ingredients are easily found in neighboring pastures and ponds. Today, city dwellers enjoy this dish as a healthy alternative to fried bananas and fish. Expatriates living in Cambodia also are realizing the healthy benefits of eating a diet of fresh fish and water green, the base of Khmer sour soup.

Samlor Prorhal (Prorhal Soup)

Samlor ProrHal is a kind of Khmer food traditionally made by people who live in the countryside. The dish is often served at times of celebration, during religious festivals or on special occasions, when city-dwelling family members come back to visit their hometown.

If someone from the city takes a foreign friend back to his village, he might ask his family to make Samlor ProrHal for them, because he can be sure a foreigner will never have tasted anything quite like it.

It’s a really traditional Khmer dish that is often prepared at home, and usually eaten at lunchtime. But the most important thing about eating Samlor ProrHal is that it is enjoyed with family or friends – it’s a dish made to celebrate spending time with people you love.
There are lots of different kinds of Khmer food, but Samlor ProrHal is generally regarded as the best Cambodian cuisine has to offer.

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Khmer Drinks

All the famous international brands of soft drinks are available in Cambodia. Locally produced mineral water is available at 500r to 700r per bottle. Coffee is sold in most restaurants. It is either served black or with generous dollops of condensed milk, which makes it very sweet.

Chinese-style tea is popular and in many Khmer and Chinese restaurants a pot of it will automatically appear as soon as you sit down.

You can find excellent fruit smoothies all over the country, known locally as a tikalok. Just look out for a stall with fruit and a blender and point to the flavors you want. Keep an eye on the preparatory stages or you may end up with heaps of sugar and a frothy eggg. On a hot day you may be tempted by the stuff in Fanta bottles on the side of the road. Think again, as it is actually petrol (gas).

The local beer are Angkor, Phnom Penh, Kingdom and Cambodia. Other brands include Heineken, Tiger, San Miguel, Asahi and Anchor. Beer sells for around US$1 to US$1.50 a can in restaurants. In Phnom Penh, foreign wines and spirits are sold at reasonable prices. The local spirits are best avoided, though some expats say that Sra Special, a local whisky-like concoction, is not bad. At around 1000r a bottle it’s a cheap route to oblivion.

Recently Cambodia can produce Grape Wine with export standard, called Prasat Phnom Banon Grape Wine, the first ever wine locally produced in Cambodia in which breeds of grape are imported from various conuntries such as, USA, Australia and French.

Khmer’s Red Wine is made from grape fruits and is a new product in Cambodia. Cambodia’s grape wine was recognized by OVOP National Committee as a product of One Village One Product.

Red Wine Prasat Phnom Banon: # 72, Bott Sala village, Cheur Teal Commune, Banon District, Battambang Province

Palm Juice is a traditional Cambodian drink. Research show that’s the fresh palm juice contains Vitamin B,C,D and full of minerals. To protect palm trees as a Cambodian symbol, Confirel Co., Ltd processed palm juice into many products such as palm wine, sour palm juice and palm sugar. The products were well organized and packed especially was very popular for local and international buyers.

Confirel Co., Ltd: # 34A, St 240, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tourists can have beer or wines at many local/foreign restaurants, drink shop, hotels, clubs and many mini-marts.