Khmer foods

Khmer Food

Cambodia’s cuisine has been strongly affected by fluctuations in its geography, politics and economy. According to who was in power, the nation’s name went from Khmer Empire to Angkor to Cambodia, then Kampuchea, Cambodge and back to Cambodia.

Signs of civilization at the dawn of the first century can be traced to the kingdom of Funan. Founded by rulers from India and established in the fertile Mekong Delta, it was the predecessor of the vast Khmer Empire was considerably larger than it is today and mighty in the eyes of its neighbors and the world.

One day a merchant from India brought along a packet of rice and unwittingly changed the course of history. The Cambodian farmer’s skill and surprisingly sophisticated planting and growing methods soon turned the tiny grain into the country’s major resource (at one point boasting an autounding 2,000 different varieties) as well as its vital staff of life and often its economic savior. Rice is considered holy by many and is deeply respected even worshipped. A Cambodian meal without a cloud of snowy white rice? Unthinkable.

But can man live by rice alone? A document, written in the 13th century by Zhou Daguan, A Chinese diplomat send to study the Khmer kingdom, alleviates all doubts. He wrote the only detailed account of life in Angkor that has survived until today.According to the diplomat’s report, a wide range of fruit and vegetables was consumed. He listed cucumbers, squash, leeks, eggplants, onion, mustard greens, watermelons, oranges, leeches, pomegranates, lotus roots, and bananas. His list also included pepper, sugar cane, and aromatic herbs. And as for denizens of the deep, the diplomat reported that Cambodians had their fill of black carps, conger eels, mammoth sea turtles, huge prawns, the bellies of alligators and every kind of shellfish.

"Ancient Cambodia life has the great culture and tradition attraction. It has been played the important role in Cambodia development and Tourism Industry. Visitors from the globe wants to see Cambodia cuisine". The types of copper and earthenware pots, braziers and stoves, coconut shell ladles and ceramic dishes he described over 700 years ago are still popular today.

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Up until the late 14th century, the country was dominated by a string of rulers calling themselves god-kings. Alternately wise and benevolent or spoiled and indulgent, these god-kings erected soaring monuments to themselves in the form of temples, moved capitals back and forth, extended the glorious realm of the Khmers or helped shrink it, led or squelched revolts, founded dynasties or destroyed them. This dangerous royal game-playing and destructive turbulence occurred at the expense of the people. (Tragically, one result of the friction was the dramatic decline of rice cultivation in the 15 century)With a litany of such monarchs over the centuries, Cambodians endured devastating internal upheavals, invasions and battles and suffered both physically and emotionally. Understandably, their culinary arts deferred to the art of survival. On one occasion, starvation was staved by a desperate diet of protein-rich dried beetles and deep-fried crickets. Curiously, the habit stuck and various kinds of insect can be purchased by the gram or kilo in local food markets today.

Religion also influenced the country’s gastronomy. As the majority adopted Buddhist teachings, the buying, cooking and eating of fresh food daily became the preferred way of life. And no regimen could be healthier. There’s even side benefit. The fresh-food-daily diet requires invigorating, socializing, seven-day-a-week trips to the crowded, noisy, lively, ambience of the market-an educational exercise for all converned.

It’s fascinating to realized that the monuments the rulers built-their existence made known by the French Explorer, Henri Mouhot, in the mid- 19th century-are now considered a true wonder of the world. Of the scores of ancient ruins, the famed and startlingly well preserved Angkor Wat leads the pack of their awesome architectural legacy, drawing visitors from every corner of the globe to the northern provincial capital of Siem Reap - the nearest city of the temples. The cuisine connection can be seen in the wall carvings depicting men and women stirring pots, grilling fish, picking fruit and vegetables and of course, planting and harvesting rice.

Geography may have had the most effect on the country’s cuisine. Cheek-to-jowl with neighbours on all surrounding borders, Cambodian cuisine understandably echoes much of its neighbours’s influences, ingredients and flavours as well as boasting a rich roster ot if owns. Strongly influenced by travllers from India and China, foreign occupations by the French, Japanese and others - Cambodia’s pot holds a rich and tasy, aromatic and satisfying mix. Sharing a natural way of life here. Ordinary mealtimes are togetherness personified as a dozen little dishes ( and a large helping of rice) are simultaneously placed on the table for all to dig into. Piquant sauces of one kind or another accompany the feast along with the traditional serving of fish paste. The air is fragrant with the aromas of lemon grass, garlic, chilli and ginger. Then, as though someone yelled, Go! the cutlery suddenly start flying as they perform a wonderfully choreographed routine of dipping, passing, reaching, nibbling and munching. A Cambodian mealtime is widly exuberant and happy occassion.

Historically, all this closeness brought about the occasional negative twist. Some neighbors weren’t so neighboursly, causing catastrophic internal turmoil and destruction through repeated wars, invasions and occupation. And Cambodia’s creativity in the kitchen one again suffered emotional and economical setbacks. While the country was catching its collective breath following one civil war after the other, Pol Pot’s horrific death squads struck, and the Khmer Rouge’s regime of terror wreaked havoc on its gentle, friendly people, bringing the country to its knees. Soon after, Cambodia was overrun by the Vietnamese. The Russian brought aid in the 1980s; the United Nations, America and Japan lent a hand in the 1990s. They each left their mark.

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With more crucial things on their plates, mothers stopped teaching the traditional cooking skills to their daughters and recipes for some wonderful dishes became distant memories. It's been a long hard struggle, but the Cambodians are made of tough stuff. Shaking off the dust and debris of the past, these incredibly resilient optimists are determined to make a new name for themselves in the 21th century. The bumpy, rutted roads are morphing into smooth, tarrred highways. Internet cafe are sprouting. Increasing numbers of Cambodians happily chat in English, adding yet another language to their liguistic accomplishments. The changes are most obvios in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, which is quickly becoming one of Asia's most popular tourist destinations. But the downside to tourism is the proliferation of Western-style pizza parlours and fast-food outlets in the two cities.

There is hope. Authentic Khmer cuisine in all its flavourful complexity is now prepared in the kitchens of Chenla Restaurant Phnom Penh. The Chenla Restaurant team embarked on a course of rescuing Khmer cuisine from its dormany, speaking to local chefs and historians, poring over fragments of handwritten recipes handed down for generations and reading all available cookbooks such as The Cambodian Cookbook written by H.R.H Princess Rasmi Sobhana Another royal, Princess Bopha Devi, graciously provided traditional recipes from the royal kitchens. The attention to detail extended to creating the dining rooms. The Restaurant Chenla evokes a place setting while the artwork.

For the time being, a walk through any street market will reveal a colorful predominance of hot and no-so-hot chillies, peeled garlic, fresh ginger, coconut milk, aromatic coriander and basil leaves, lime juice, tamarind, lotus root, fragant lemon grass, sacks of various kinds of rice, jars of fish paste and bottles of fish sauce.The latter, a rich, spicy mixture of garlic, chillies, finely mashed fish of varying quality and type and other additive including group peanuts is a Cambodian exclusive. The fermented fish pastes (Prahok) can take months to prepare due to the lengthy period of fermentation and the divers end products are distintive.

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One element that is vital part of the formula is kroeung, an herb paste requiring not months but mere hours of preparation. Skill and experience are essential. Everything must be cut, sliced, chopped and then pounded in a stone mortar in a certain way to produce just the right smoothness. Traditionally, the royal version of this herb paste consists of nine basic ingredients: garlic, dried chillies, galangal, turmeric, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, a kind of galangal called rhizome and the roots of Chinese parsley. The quantities of the ingredients and the deft hand of the cook mark the difference between an ordinary kgroeung and an outstanding one. Here at Chenla Restaurant offers delicious Khmer dishes currently being served in Phnom Penh. Arranged in the traditional order of salad, soup, main course, starch and dessert. These dishes should give you a fair idea of a typical meal once prepared for everyone.