ART & HANDICRAFTS

Across the land of green rice paddies, shining blue waters, great wandering rivers and lush forests, the people of Cambodia are re-learning the arts of their ancestors.

SILK WEAVING

Gem-coloured silk in a brilliant array of colours are stacked floor to ceiling in shops at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. This Cambodian handicraft has been passed down from generation to generation. You can visit silk weavers in various places in Cambodia including Kandal, Prey Veng and Takeo provinces. The colours of traditional Khmer silk costumes are historically associated with the days of the week as follows:

Yellow for Monday, Purple for Tuesday, Green and Copper on Wednesday, Green for Thursday, Blue on Friday, Violet for Saturday and Red for Sunday.

SILVER

The art of the Silversmith reached its height in Cambodia during the 11th century when crafted objects were used primarily by Royalty and the upper classes for ceremonial purposes including funerals and religious rituals. You will find city market stalls offering many silver items for sale including intricate fruit and animal designs as well as traditional style pieces.

CARVINGS

Wood carvings reflect strong spiritual beliefs with roots in animism from the pillars of a house to the elaborate motifs of the moon, stars, fruit and flowers. Houses are built with great attention given to the pillars, each having its own spirit of a woman, and roofs feature elaborate carved motifs. Miniature "Spirit Houses" are strategically placed at homes and other buildings and they are used for offerings of food, flowers and incense. Carved boxes and statues are used for ornamentation and furniture.

Stone carving is another popular art form and again you will find many vendors in the main tourist markets offering pieces for sale. There is an excellent array of reproduction pieces available.

FOOD AND DRINK

Cambodian cuisine is closely related to that of its neighbors Thailand and Laos and, to a lesser extent, Vietnam. There are,however some local dishes too. The overral consensus is that Khmer cooking is similar to Thai but with fewer spices. Rice and fish are the basic foods enjoyed by Cambodians. Delicious noodle soups are available at cafes whilst fresh seafood is plentiful in Sihanoukville. In major cities a wide range of culinary fare is on offer including; Chinese, Thai, French, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese and Middle Eastern. A traditional Cambodian meal almost always includes a soup, or samla which is eaten at the same time as other courses.

Samla machou banle

This popular fish soup has a sour flavour rather like the hot and sour dishes of neighboring Thailand. Other soups include samla chapek ( ginger-flavoured pork soup), samla machou bangkang ( prawn soup) and samla ktis (a fish soup with coconut and pineapple).

Cambodian ‘salad’

These dishes are also popular and delicious although quite different from the western concept of a cold salad. Phlea sach ko is a beef and vegetable salad, flavoured with coriander, mint leaves and lemon grass. These herbs find their ways into many Cambodian’s dishes.

Like all other Buddhist countries, vegetarian food is readily available and ordering in a restaurant shouldn’t pose any problems as there is a separate vegetarian page in most menus.

Banana

Bananas are in abundance in Cambodia and hence are a staple dietary item. When you stroll through the markets in Cambodia you will notice that there are many varieties of this popular fruit. As well as being consumed as fresh fruit and used in desserts, other popular ways of eating banana include deep-fried and sun dried. In addition to being a food source bananas are used as offerings during religious ceremonies.

Coconut

The coconut, known as Dong in Khmer, is another staple of the Cambodian diet. Vendors are often seen pulling carts laden with coconut through the streets. Coconut juice is a very refreshing drink and the inner flesh is sweet when the fruit is young. In addition the flesh is often used in cooking.

Durian

The durian, or Thouren as it is known in Khmer, is sometimes referred to as the "King" of tropical fruits. Its odour is so unique that hotels and airlines ban customers from carrying the durian and many foreigners cannot bring themselves to sample the flesh but it is well worth it! Durian can grow into large, oblong shaped fruit with the green skin covered in hard, short spikes. When split open, the inner yellow flesh is revealed. Inside the creamy flesh are large seeds. As well as eaten fresh, durian is also cooked into a paste and used in desserts.

Jackfruit

The Jackfruit is one of the most distinctive fruits of Asia. Known as Khnol in the Khmer language, jackfruit is a large, oval fruit with a light-green, spiky skin. When cut open jackfruits emit a sweet, perfumed odour and the bright yellow flesh surrounding the seeds is eaten.

Longan

Known as Mean in the Khmer language, longan is another small, round, sweet tropical fruit. Longans have a rather drab, beige skin colouring, but once peeled the flesh is clear white and very sweet. Inside the fruit harbours a hard black seed. Longans are usually sold in bunches with the stalks still attached.

Lychee

The lychee is called Koulen in Khmer and many foreigners are familiar with the tinned, processed fruit. The fresh fruit is small, round and spiky and red in colour. Once peeled, the flesh is white and contains a black seed.

Mangosteen

The mangosteen is a very distinctive looking fruit with a smooth, dark-red almost black skin. The top of the fruit has a small floral pattern near the stem. The skin is relatively thick and it is best to slice the fruit open with a knife. Once opened the white flesh is revealed in segments. Meangkhout as they are known in Khmer, have a very sweet flavour when fully ripened.

Papaya

Called Lhong in the Khmer language, papaya has a unique oblong shape. The skin of the papaya is smooth and when the fruit is young it is green in colour, turning to reddish-yellow as it ripens. The inner flesh is light-red and sweet.

Pineapple

The pineapple (Manoa in Khmer) is well-known to most tourists and grows abundantly in Cambodia. The spiky outer skin is covered in "eyes". When fully ripe, pineapples exude a fragrant sweet odour. As well as being eaten raw as fresh fruit, pineapples are also used extensively in Cambodian cooking.

Rambuta

Rambutans have a very distinctive appearance, the outer skin being a reddish shell and covered in soft, thick hairs. The inner flesh is translucent white, which is very sweet and juicy and contains a smooth seed. Like longans, rambutans are normally sold in bunches with the stems attached.

Sugar Palm

Called Tnaot in the Khmer language, the sugar palm is synonymous with the Cambodian countryside. They are commonly seen growing amongst the rice fields and offer many valuable by-products. The slow growing palms become very tall over time and it takes about 15 years or more for the palms to produce the seeds which are eaten as dessert. As well as seeds, the palm flowers can be "milked" of juice and this is used to make palm wine. The fronds can be used in weaving and the tree itself offers strong, durable timber.

Watermelon

Watermelons are a popular, refreshing fruit found throughout Cambodia. Cambodians call the fruit Owlock and the watermelons come in a variety of sizes, shapes and flesh colours. You will find plenty of watermelons for sale at the local markets.