~~~ Excerpted from “Cambodian Food” by Kathie Carpenter. Printed in Responsible Travel Guide, Cambodia: Improving Lives Through Thoughtful Travel Choices by Pujita Mayeda and Friendship with Cambodia. ~~~
http://www.friendshipwithcambodia.org/programs-education.php
In a traditional Cambodian meal every bite refreshes the palate. Cambodians enjoy foods with vibrant flavors – sweet, sour, salty and bitter – but instead of contrasting seasonings within a single dish, the whole meal is a palette of separate dishes, each emphasizing a different taste and texture. Each diner creates their own culinary composition by balancing and contrasting bites in unique and personalized compositions, depending on their taste and mood. Textures also contrast and refresh. Playful alternations of creamy and crunchy prevent dulling of the senses and raw alternates with cooked to continually reawaken the taste buds and the taster.
Cambodian cooks serve pungent, wild, gathered vegetables (don’t call them weeds!) alongside familiar cultivated ones and old favorites can appear in surprising guises – banana blossoms are often eaten long before the fruits appear, mango and watermelon can be used green and unripe and pineapple is often used as a vegetable, stir fried or in soups. Soup is eaten with the meal as a palate cleanser between bites, rather than as a separate course.
Cambodian cuisine is distinctively and deliciously its own. Cambodia is historically the heartland of an empire that stretched over a million square kilometers across mainland Southeast Asia, so it is not surprising that Cambodian food-ways have influenced Thai, Lao and Vietnamese cooking, even as it has been influenced by them, as well as by the cooking of China, India and France.
The traditional Cambodian diet is very healthy. It contains very little fat, but the bright tastes of kaffir limes, lemongrass, ginger and tamarind are complemented by the richer, fuller under notes of roasted garlic, black pepper and prahok, a 
quintessentially Cambodian seasoning made from salted and fermented fish. Aromatic seasonings, many even lacking names in English, are blended together in a paste called kroueng, used as a curry base, marinade, rub or soup stock. Kroueng gives Cambodian food a spiciness and aroma that can wake up the most jaded palate, even though traditional Cambodian food is not at all hot and chilies are used sparingly and usually only on the side.
Even cooking and serving containers impart distinctive tastes to this complex and subtle cuisine – some dishes derive their signature taste from steaming in banana leaves, while others take on the aroma of the clay pots they are simmered in. The Cambodian diet is sustainably linked to the climate and environment of Cambodia. It is local, seasonal, and fresh, fresh, fresh! In the rainy season, monsoon flooding can bring over half the landmass under water, so it is natural that fish and rice are the main staple foods.
Food in Cambodia is only enjoyed if it is shared. If you are fortunate enough to be invited to a meal in a Cambodian family home, expect all diners to share several dishes and to serve themselves from the communal pot. However, even in a restaurant, keeping your own entree to yourself looks downright antisocial, and it will dull
your palate to eat repeated bites of the same thing. To appreciate the liveliness of traditional Cambodian cooking, order several foods that contrast in flavor and texture and experiment with as many orders and combinations as you can imagine. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous!
Interested in traveling to Cambodia to check out some local cuisine first-hand? Join Friendship with Cambodia’s 2011 trip! Spaces are still available, but the deadline is September 21! Visit http://www.friendshipwithcambodia.org/travel.php for more information, the application procedure, and a detailed itinerary.
Read Full Post »
Friendship with Cambodia's Blog 