Drink
There is hardly a drink in Cambodia that is consumed without ice cubes. Fortunately, one can take away the fear of Montezuma's revenge from the strange visitors. In Cambodia, ice cubes are principally made from purified drinking water. Even in remote villages there is no reason to refuse to enjoy ice cubes.
Non alcoholic drinks
- water - You use a lot of water just because of the warm climate. You should always have a certain amount of water with you. Bottled drinking water can be bought anywhere in the country, usually even chilled, as a cool box is mandatory in every store.
- Soft drinks - The well-known soft drinks are available all over the country.
- Sugar cane juice - Many visitors will notice the small wagons with the big crank. These are sugar cane presses. For a quarter of a dollar you can get a really refreshing cool drink in the obligatory plastic bag, or if you are environmentally conscious, you can drink it from a glass on site.
Alcoholic drinks
Although alcohol is of course also consumed at parties, alcoholic beverages are by no means on the daily table in Cambodia.
- beer - Beer is available almost everywhere in Cambodia. The most popular are the traditional Cambodian brand brewed in Sihanoukville Angkor Beer and the Anchor Beer. Beyond that, there is that sound and Bayon, the strong stout ABC and it has existed since 2008 Phnom Penh Beer. Draft beer has no tradition in Cambodia but is now available in some restaurants geared towards tourists. Cambodians themselves drink the beer from the can. It is comparatively expensive by Cambodian standards. A pallet of small cans of Angkor beer costs 10-13 dollars. A single can is available for KHR 3000. Angkor beer is also available in 0.67l and recently also in stylish 0.33l bottles. Away from the tourist bars, visitors to the country should be prepared for the fact that the beer is not stored chilled. Cambodians drink the beer - contrary to any western beer culture - with ice cubes. This may seem terrifying to some, but it turns out to be quite refreshing. Sometimes it can even happen that you get a straw to go with it. In the typical large Cambodian restaurants, there is always a waitress at the table to ensure that glasses are full. Beer and ice are constantly being refilled.
- Wine - Wine has no tradition in Cambodia. Restaurants in places frequented by tourists usually have a small selection of imported wines on offer. Of course there is also palm and rice wine in bottles, which in rural areas is often self-distilled. For reasons of hygiene, however, caution is advisable here.
- Liquor and liquor - There is one in Cambodia Ginseng Wine, a black brew, which however has more alcohol than normal wine. A type of Cambodian herbal brandy is that Muscle Wine, also known as Golden Muscle Wine, which is usually drunk with the addition of water or tonic cola. A 350ml bottle costs around US $ 2.
dishes
General
Opinions differ somewhat about Cambodian cuisine. Some say the kitchen was stolen from their three neighbors, only worse. A culinary tour through the four countries will confirm this. Many dishes can really be found in a similar form in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. There they are actually usually a little more refined, arranged and provided with more herbs. But that doesn't make Khmer cuisine bad or less tasty. As a rule, the cooking is less spicy and too exotic than the Thai neighbors. If you dine with Cambodians, you will notice that the seasoning is rather subtle. Small bowls with chilli, fish sauce or prahok complete the meal.
Appetizers
- Kuay Teaw - This is especially a classic for breakfast. The rice noodle soup is somewhat similar to the well-known Vietnamese Phở, but it is a bit simpler. It is usually served with beef (seik ko). Pork meat (seik chiru) is rarely served with it. The soup is complemented with some vegetables and a lettuce leaf. You can get them in countless street restaurants. For three quarters of a dollar you have such a good start to the day.
- Num Pachok - The soup consists of noodles in a coconut sauce. Hizu comes vegetables and spring onions. If desired, the dish can also be supplemented with chicken or beef.
Main courses
- amok - The Khmer also have a classic curry dish with coconut milk. As with the Thai neighbors, you are flexible in the choice of the content - it is served with meat, fish or shrimp. The amok is usually served in a hollowed out coconut. You can also find it, then served in a slightly thicker consistency in banana leaves.
- Lok Lak - One of the most popular meals in the country is this beef dish. Small pieces of beef are fried in a special sauce and served over lettuce leaves on an onion bed. This also includes a fried egg. The dish comes with a bowl with a sauce made from lemon juice and pepper.
- Saik Moan Ang - Chicken is marinated with various spices and grilled.
- Saik Ko Tirk Krote - A spicy dish of roast beef with a fresh salad and a sweet and hot orange sauce.
- Saiong Jayk Mien Snoul - Fried pork and chicken wrapped in banana flowers.
- Salor Kari Sap - Vegetarian curry with tofu, eggplant, potatoes and lemongrass with coconut milk.
dessert
- Num Pra Pey Ny - These little cakes are made of fruity sticky rice (coconut, banana ...) and are wrapped in banana leaves.
Spices
- Prahok - The prahok, which is very popular in Cambodia as a side dish and seasoning paste, is unlikely to end up on the table of western visitors thanks to its intense smell of old fish, which it ultimately consists of.
- Kampot pepper - This particular pepper grows in the region Kampot and Kep and offers a particularly aromatic taste experience. Fish and seafood really blossom with him. If you get these dishes in Kampot and Kep on every corner, you have to look for something in Phnom Penh to find a restaurant that has it on the menu.
Curious edibles
The Khmer are always happy to have a snack in between. Here you will find things that are rather unusual for the Central European stomach. However, this does not have to prevent anyone from trying one or the other animal, which certainly does not end up on the table at home.
- Tarantulas - That should probably demand the greatest overcoming of most western tourists. In the region north of Phnom Penh (and only there) you can find bowls with lots of these fried octopods everywhere. The city is known for the large number of these crawling animals Skun. The spiders themselves live in trees that are native to this region of the country. During the war, spiders were a permitted food that probably did little to relieve hunger.
- Turtles - For example, if you leave Phnom Penh in the direction of Kampong Chhnang, you will find traders on the roadside who sell turtles for sale. The animals are cooked and then "put together" again. There are also two or three yellow balls, the eggs of the turtles. Eating it all takes some work, as larger pieces of tender meat are rare. If you want to "unwind" a tank, you should grab it.
- Grasshoppers and bedbugs - These small, protein-rich crawlers are available as snacks at the many small mobile cookshops.
- On Krong - The dish consists of a mixture of different winged ants.
Some of the animal species offered in Cambodia are protected species. A little restraint could be beneficial here.
to eat out
Food stalls
Almost everywhere in the towns there are small local or mobile stalls offering food. The choice is varied. From fruit to baguettes to fried noodles or baked or deep-fried delicacies. For a couple of riels you can get something for the small appetite on every corner.
Street restaurant
In many places you can find simple restaurants typical of the country. Together they have a mostly somewhat sterile tiled ambience and a permanently running television. They are usually well attended by the locals during the rush hours in the morning and at noon. Cutlery and standard seasonings such as garlic and chilli are on the table. A pot of simple tea is usually included free of charge. Some even have a simple English menu with a few typical dishes. The Cambodian custom of throwing all rubbish on the floor is rather unfamiliar to Europeans. After the meal times, such a restaurant is littered with used paper napkins. This is how the sober tile ambience pays off. In a minute you will be ready for the next guests.
Large restaurants
Cambodians don't value a stylish ambience very much. The large restaurants are more like a train station hall. An important part of such a restaurant is the stage for live music and karaoke. Dinner is not complete without entertainment. The quite large number of employees is striking. As a rule, you will be looked after during the entire visit. After just a few sips, the glasses are refilled with beer and ice. The range of dishes is quite large. Fish, pork, beef, chicken or frog. Usually everything is on offer. Also the Cambodian barbecue.
Western restaurants
The well-known cities also have a wide range of restaurants that offer Western cuisine. Many of these restaurants have a standard menu selection. So you can always find a few typical Khmer dishes, sandwiches, pizza, pasta and a few meat dishes on the menu. If you are looking for something outside of this standard offer, you will not find it so quickly. There are a number of good specialty restaurants in Phnom Penh. For example, you can eat Nepalese very well there. However, these restaurants are not always located in the tourist hot spots. In Siem Reap you can find a few on Pub Street and Walking Alley.
literature
- : The cuisine from Vietnam & Cambodia. Christian, 2007, ISBN 3884727249 ; 256 pages (German).
- : The Elephant Walk Cookbook: The Exciting World of Cambodian Cuisine from the Nationally Acclaimed Restaurant. Houghton Mifflin, 1998, ISBN 0395892538 ; 362 pages (English).
- : Cambodian creative cuisine - from water lilies and Khmer curries. Cover, 2008, ISBN 3775005439 ; 168 pages (German).
Web links
- Cambodia Cooking Class Cambodian recipes, English
gallery
 Not quite common: fried tarantulas |  A popular soup: Num Pachok |  Chicken curry: Saik Moan Char Kari |  Fried Chicken: Saik Moan Ang |  Sweet and sour fish: Trey Bom Poung.jpg |
