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| By
: Moul Vongs. |
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To Khmers,
food is the stuff of legends.
But unless visitors to Cambodia stay with a Khmer
family, they may never have the opportunity to taste
real Khmer cuisine.
Khmer families generally cook and eat at home and
there are few restaurants offering classic Khmer
dishes. Those that do often lack English menus or
staff able to explain the complexities of dishes
or offer suggestions. Cuisine as much as dance
or music is considered integral to Khmer culture.
Food in Cambodia brings families together, and the
ability to cook classic dishes can add to a woman's
appeal as a marriage partner.
The dishes of Cambodia are unique.
Mr. Dek Sarin, Director of the Culture Development
Department under the Ministry of Culture and Fine
Arts, said his wish would be to see Khmer cuisine
in as many restaurants in the country as possible.
So concerned is the Ministry that it has taken steps
to promote Khmer cooking to the people.
Information about classic dishes can be obtained
from the Ministry, as can Ministry- approved recipes.
As an effort to spark new interest in Khmer food
and encourage existing exponents of the craft, the
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts revived its National
Food Contest in early April this year, previously
held in 1993 and 96.
Mr. Dek Sarin said people could consider food as
the link between daily life and part of the national
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Samlor Kako is one of
Cambodia’s national dishes. It uses
an incredible range of ingredients to achieve
its complex range of flavors, including
the famous prahok or
fermented fish cheese, which is unique to
Khmer cuisine.
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identity.
A fine example of this is the classic dish, Samlor Kako,
a type of rich vegetable soup that has inspired Khmer
poets and given rise to legends through the centuries.
As such, the Ministry chose Samlor Kako as one of two
dishes warranting special promotion in the community,
along with the coconut milk based steamed dish, H'mok.
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"When
referring to the Khmer civilization, one cannot
miss mentioning the arts of cooking, exemplified
by dishes such as Samlor Kako soup or H'mok,"
Mr. Sarin said.
H'mok is a specialized dish consisting most commonly
of fish, but sometimes chopped meat, or chicken,
mixed with spices and coconut milk, then placed
in leaves and steamed.
Cambodian culture began long before Angkor, Mr.
Sarin said.
Findings at many archeological sites have dated
human habitation in Cambodia as far back as the
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Paleolithic period
(circa two million years ago).
These ancient people lived in settled villages, cultivated
grains, domesticated animals, developed pottery and weaving
and evolved into the urban civilization of the Bronze
Age. In Southeast Asia a distinct type of Neolithic culture
cultivated rice before 2000 BC. As cultures developed,
so did cuisines.
"The Khmer, like other people around the world, first
worked to obtain basic needs, including shelter, clothes
and especially food," Mr. Sarin said.
"Because they realized that food generated physical
forces to develop their nation, the ancient Khmer left
many carvings in form of bas-relief or high-relief on
the galleries of a number of Prasat (temples), especially
that of the Bayon Temple built under the reign of King
Jayavarman VII (1181-1218). It is there, visitors can
read the experiences of their daily lives, including their
arts of cooking," Mr Sarin said. |
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Suite
B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
E-mail:
editor@leisurecambodia.com |
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