National cuisine of Cambodia for gourmets

The traditional cuisine of Cambodia was influenced by many culinary traditions of neighboring countries. Gastronomic habits of Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotians, and Thais had a significant impact on tastes and preferences of the Cambodians. The country had been under the protectorate of France for several decades. That's why Cambodian cuisine retains come elements of traditional French dishes to this day. At the same time, the culinary culture of Cambodia has a number of features giving traditional dishes a unique and inimitable taste. Cambodian dishes are not as spicy and piquant as Thai foods. The population of the country is extremely unpretentious in food. In pursuit of exotics, tourists can enjoy dishes from frogs, beetles, spiders, cockroaches, caterpillars, locusts and larvae. In Cambodian restaurants, you can have a relatively inexpensively lunch or dinner. On local street markets, it is easy to find fresh products at low prices.

Equally popular are dishes of meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and even flowers. In separate restaurants, the same dish may be prepared in absolutely different ways. The main product used for cooking most local foods is rice. The Cambodians eat it in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Most often, rice is served as a side dish to the main dishes of meat, poultry or fish. Cambodians do not like to add a lot of spices, preferring to replace them with large amounts of peanut or coconut oil and greens. The most famous rice dish is "Bai cha". It is fried rice with meat or fish. The finished dish is generously sprinkled with herbs and flavored with sauce. Another popular dish - "Anksom Jayk" - is prepared from rice and baked bananas.

Residents of Cambodia have a special love for various types of noodles. These are rice and barley noodles, white, brown and golden, glass funchoza, and noodles from starch. Soups with noodles often play the role of the main dish on the tables of Cambodians. They are served directly on the fire, which allows them to remain hot until the end of the meal. One of the famous Cambodian soups is a soup with noodles, meat, and herbs, which is usually served for breakfast. Throughout the country, tourists can enjoy a dish called "Kuy Teav" − the variation of noodle soup with the addition of seafood, as well as "Lok Lak" - noodles with stewed meat and eggs. It is almost impossible to find fresh milk in Cambodia - it is very rare. At the same time, in grocery stores and restaurants, it is quite easy to find all kinds of cheese - one of the favorite products of Cambodians. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Local residents prefer seafood to meat dishes. Fish holds a special place in the diet of Khmer people, the main ethnic group of Cambodia. It is used for the preparation of soups and many other dishes: fish is baked with rice, boiled, fried and stewed with various sauces, stuffed, cooked with pasta and served with greens. Dried and smoked fish is also very popular here. One of the most famous fish dishes is "Prahok". It is prepared from fresh fish, which is cut into small pieces together with the insides, after which is left in the heat. After some time, all this is mixed with spices and rubbed into a thick spicy paste with a pungent smell and a specific taste. Among other fish dishes, it is worth to highlight "Samla Machu Banle" Sour Soupe.

In this country, vegetables are usually served to meat and fish dishes or serve as a complement to a garnish of rice. Mangoes, bananas, breadfruit are simultaneously used for cooking garnishes and sweet desserts. Juicy watermelons, papaya, pineapples, guava, pomelo are sold at market stalls of the country. In Cambodia, you will find many kinds of exotic fruits. One of the most unusual of them is the famous Durian. Traditionally, everyone who is visiting the country must taste this fruit with an unbearable smell and amazing taste. Rambutan, mangosteen, knahau are also worth trying. Many kinds of bakery products are baked in Cambodia. Locals eat a lot of fresh bread, which can be bought at almost every step. Soft buns, various types of muffins and other sweets are very popular.

Cambodians drink little water, quenching thirst with traditional drinks instead. Coffee is not in demand as well, so it's not so easy to find the quality product in Cambodia. Shortage of good coffee in the country is more than covered with an abundance of fruit juices and cocktails. Among other common non-alcoholic drinks are bamboo juice and unsweetened green tea. Cambodia produces several varieties of its own beer and whiskey. Cambodian beer is bought up by tourists, while locals rather prefer palm wine. Vodka and wine are made from rice. Be sure to try "Samring" (Cambodian liquor), palm juice, coconut milk, and "Dtuk Rolok" - the drink of raw yolks with fruit and sugar filling.