Cambodia -

Cambodia

Khmer cuisine is the name for the food generally consumed in Cambodia. The food of Cambodia consists of tropical fruits, rice, noodles, drinks, dessert and various soups.

The staple food for Cambodians is rice. Almost every meal consists of a bowl of rice, although noodles are also popular. A variety of curries, soups and stir fries are served with rice. Many rice varieties are available in Cambodia, including aromatic rice and glutinous or sticky rice. The latter is more commonly found in desserts with fruits like durian.

 Khmer Cuisine shares much in common with the food of neighbouring Thailand, although it is generally not as spicy; and Vietnam, with whom it shares many common dishes along with a colonial history, both being a part of the French colonial empire in Southeast Asia. It's also drawn upon influences from the cuisines of China and France, both of whom are powerful participants in Cambodian history. Curry dishes, known as kari (in Khmer) show a trace of cultural influence from India. The countless variations of rice noodles show the influences from Chinese cookery. Rice noodle soup, known simply as Kuyteav, is a popular dish brought to Cambodia by Chinese settlers from generations past. Also, Banh Chiao is the Khmer version from the Vietnamese Bánh xèo. A legacy from the French is the baguette, which the Cambodians often eat with pâté, tinned sardines or eggs. One of these with a cup of strong coffee, sweetened with condensed milk, can be an example of a typical Cambodian breakfast.

Typically, Cambodians eat their meals with at least three or four separate dishes. A meal will usually include a soup or samlor, served alongside the main courses. Each individual dish will probably be either sweet, sour, salty or bitter. Chilli is generally left up to individuals to add themselves. In this way Cambodians ensure that they get a bit of each flavour to satisfy their palates.

Several cooking courses are now run in popular tourist areas, giving visitors the chance to share the culinary secret from the Khmers.