{"id":21438,"date":"2017-08-28T07:55:37","date_gmt":"2017-08-27T21:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=21438"},"modified":"2025-03-26T01:46:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:46:35","slug":"cambodian-food-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/cambodian-food-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Cambodian cuisine: Everything you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

What do you think when you hear ‘Cambodian food’? Some sort of vaguely Southeast Asian curry, perhaps? A noodle dish? Some fragrant soup? Yep, it’s fair to say most people know little about this overlooked Asian cuisine. This is a shame because if you’re going to visit Angkor Wat and co., you might as well eat well while you’re at it. And, well, because it’s delicious. To prove just that, we’ve prepared a cheeky Cambodian food guide, with the help of some Intrepid insiders, plus Cambodian local and tour guide, Channa Uy<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So, try not to read this on an empty stomach, because you’re in for a long and tasty ride. Coming up: what to expect from Cambodian cuisine (technically known as ‘Khmer cuisine’), what restaurants you should visit when there, and a bunch of unique experiences on our 9-day Cambodian Real Food Adventure<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The ever-majestic Angkor Wat<\/p><\/div>\n

Khmer cuisine: A beginner’s guide<\/h2>\n

Cambodian cuisine is pretty heavy on the meat and fish. Especially the latter, thanks to the coast, the Mekong and the country’s various other rivers. The main meats eaten are pork and chicken. And ingredients such as coconuts, bananas, mangoes, limes, lemongrass, palm sugar and shallots feature often in local dishes.<\/p>\n

Differences with Southeast Asian cuisine<\/h3>\n
Cambodian food is often overshadowed by a focus on Thailand and Vietnam, when in fact Khmer cuisine is one of the world’s oldest living food cultures. The Cambodian cooking pot combines an eclectic mix of local and international influences (mostly French and Thai) but really has a flavor all of its own. A pretty delicious flavor. A flavor, in fact, that’s worthy of our 9-day food tour of the country<\/a><\/strong>.<\/div>\n
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Dried fish stall in Phnom Penh<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The best of Khmer food is about balancing your meal as a whole. Where single Thai or Vietnamese dishes might attempt to balance spicy, sour, sweet, salty (and occasionally, umami and bitter) in a single bowl, Khmer food goes about achieving the same balance through multiple dishes with diners seeking out the different flavors over the course of the meal.<\/p>\n

Another difference is that unlike in Thailand, chili in Cambodia tends to be served on the side, rather than mixed in with dishes. And, as a general rule, Cambodian dishes contain less chili, sugar and coconut milk than their Thai contemporaries.<\/p>\n

HERE’S HOW TO SPEND THE ULTIMATE 7 DAYS IN CAMBODIA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Similarities with Southeast Asian cuisine<\/h3>\n

That all said, some dishes in Vietnam are popular in Cambodia too (after all, both countries were colonized by the French). Baguette-type sandwiches known as banh mi i<\/em>n Vietnam are also common in Cambodia, and are called num\u00a0pang p\u00e2t\u00e9 <\/em>there.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Similarly, a favorite Cambodian drink \u2013 iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk \u2013 is also popular in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

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Vietnamese drip coffee<\/p><\/div>\n

Flavors to expect in Khmer cuisine<\/h3>\n

Travelers should be prepared for many different kinds of flavors in Cambodian food, some of which might taste bitter to Western palates. For example,\u00a0prahok\u00a0is a crushed, salted and fermented fish paste that’s a common seasoning in Cambodian cooking. It has a strong, salty taste that takes a bit of getting used to, but does come in many different flavors depending on the ingredients and how it’s prepared.<\/p>\n

Most main courses contain fish or shellfish, and rice is part of almost all dishes.\u00a0Indeed, the most important part of every meal in Cambodia is rice. This is no exaggeration \u2013 there are more than a dozen types of rice commonly used. Aside from being eaten at lunch and dinner, rice also forms the basis of popular Cambodian street-side snacks like deep-fried rice cakes and rice noodle soup.<\/p>\n

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Kebabs and rice at a vegetarian restaurant in Phnom Penh<\/p><\/div>\n

Must-try dishes in Cambodia<\/h2>\n

Visitors tend to enjoy Fish Amok when they visit Cambodia. This is a\u00a0type of curried fish that is steamed to infuse it with\u00a0flavor. So tender it often falls apart on the fork, it is delicious but isn’t super spicy (because, as mentioned, unlike neighboring Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodian cooking tends to use more herbs than spices). The dish is often served in a banana leaf with a little coconut cream on top.<\/p>\n

Though Fish Amok is considered by some to be Cambodia’s national dish, it’s actually a Khmer version of a Thai dish and isn\u2019t hugely popular with Cambodian people. So, give it a try. But also give these dishes a taste or two, too:<\/p>\n