La Valle Eco Resort - Koh Kong Province

 ឡាវ៉ាលី អេកូរីស៊ត La Valle Eco Resort is the beautiful Resort in Koh Kong.

Many beautiful attractions in the territory of Areng "La Valle Eco Resort". The best resort near Koh Kong province.

La-Oh Park Sihanoukville or Laor Park Cambodia

 

An adventurous seaside resort with three ropes, a selection of the best jokes, a special park offering newcomers to the ropes, loose ropes, enjoying the beauty of the rugged jungle along with a sea tour. Blue, white.

Great adventure ziplining high in the sky at this Oceanside property (not far from otres 3 aka secret beach) with towering trees and scenic jungle, I felt so alive here. The French staff folks are warm with an upbeat yet blissful attitude.

Several wild small crescent beaches are adjacent to the property. There was a lovely Russian woman wearing a thong and picking up trash at the intertidal zone of the nearby baby Zen beaches, which touched my heart, as I love mother nature

This place is what I imagine Cambodia was like 30 years ago in real life and is worth the long trek along the desolate dark pumpkin colored roads to reach this magical destination.

Tboung Khmum Province

 Tboung Khmum or Tbong Khmum is a province (khaet) of Cambodia located on the central lowlands of the Mekong River. The province's name consists of two words in Khmer, tboung (gem, precious jewel) and khmum (bee), which together mean "amber".

The Beautiful Place in Tboung Khmum Province

Khnang Phsa Mountain and Khnorng Krapeu

Knong Krapeu is a tourist resort, a tourist resort located on the ridge of Tret Mountain, more than 5 km from Karaoke Tbong Khmum, with restaurants, cafes, swimming pools, seating. Visitors can have casual clothes, chat. 

Province of Mondolkiri

 Mondulkiri or Mondul Kiri is a province of Cambodia. Bordering the provinces of Kratié to the west, Stung Treng to the northwest, Ratanakiri to the north and the country of Vietnam to the east and south, it is the most sparsely populated province in the country despite being the largest in land area. The province was established in 1961 from the eastern part of Kratié Province. The capital is the town of Senmonorom. 

The Beautiful Relaxing Place in Mondolkiri Province 

SOY JUICE

On sale in most markets, or from most street beverage vendors, you can find fresh soy juice, often packaged in recycled plastic or glass water bottles.

Appreciated and consumed mainly in the morning by Cambodians, soya juice comes in two colors, white or green, corresponding to different tastes: the white bottles contain a "Saap" juice, plain, without the addition of sugar or perfume. The green version is slightly sweet.

The taste of sola juice is quite similar to the popular canned soy milk, but in general it has a much thicker texture than this. We thus find ourselves closer to the flavor of soy beans, slightly floury.

Soy juice can be consumed, according to your taste, hot or cold.

Count 1500 riel for a glass bottle, 1000 for a plastic bottle. Restaurants serving fresh soy juice will be priced up to 3000 riel.

COCONUT JUICE

Fresh coconut juice tastes very different from the coconut milk and dried coconut that we usually know. With coconut trees growing all over the country, coconut is an inexpensive and refreshing drink, and no doubt a single nut, which can contain up to more than a liter of juice, will quench your thirst.

There are different varieties of coconuts, and the ones that will give the given juices to be the best - sweeter and tastier, will be the so-called Dong Phleung coconuts, literally the fiery coconut. very yellow bark, or Dong Prohop, which is usually found peeled, in the form of small white pearls. The juice has a light nutty flavor, and the flesh is very fragrant.

Various testimonies indicate that during the Khmer Rouge regime, the drugs running out, it happened that the juice of the coconut was used in infusions to replace dextrose.
Note, the consumption of coconut juice can, replacing cranberry juice, relieve women suffering from cystitis ...

Between 1000 and 1500 riel the coconut.
ALL DRINKS

JUICE AND PALM WINE

Palm wine can probably be called a national alcohol.

Handcrafted, it is prepared from the juice of the palm tree itself produced from the morning harvest of the juice of the flowers of the sugar palm trees.

Peasants make dizzying climbs on rudimentary bamboo ladders hung along the trunks to reach the top of the palm tree where fruits and flowers are gathered.

We differentiate between palm juice, known as 'soft' palm juice 

Toek Tnaot P'aem, a light and sweet juice that is very refreshing, and so-called 'sour' palm juice, Toek Tnaot Chour being in actually fermented palm juice, and therefore alcoholic.

This, it seems, if abused, can cause severe headaches in drinkers for several days.

Although they are becoming scarce, street vendors, on foot or by bicycle, pass through town or crisscross the country lanes all day long to sell the precious beverage taken from the palm trees and then poured into long bamboo tubes. Sometimes more than thirty kilometers are covered by these vendors before they can start their tour of the city.

If the woody flavor given by the small bamboo cups in which juice and wine are served agrees very nicely with the sweetness of palm juice, some fragile stomachs will prefer to turn to palm wines duly bottled and marketed by a few. local palm sugar farmers, whose taste, however, has little to do with artisanal wine.

A bamboo tube, around 2,500 riel, 4,000 riel for the largest, 500 riel for a bucket. A 50cl bottle costs around US $ 5 in mini-mart.

SUGAR CANE JUICE

Sugar cane juice is a very refreshing and fragrant drink that you can easily find anywhere, usually sold in mobile stalls set up on sidewalks.

You will recognize in the street and around the markets the characteristic machines which are used to press the sugar cane, previously peeled, to extract the juice which will be served to you with ice cubes and embellished with a zest of lime or tangerine ...

The juices coming out the greenest would come from the youngest sugar canes and therefore would be the best.

From 500 to 1000 riel per glass or bag

SODAS

You can find all types of sodas in Cambodia. The street vendors carrying returnable bottles will serve your drink in a small plastic bag, with ice and a straw.

You will find all the main sodas on sale across the country, Coca Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Sting ...

Also in cans, many energy drinks with questionable flavor come from the surrounding countries and seem to work well here.

Count between 1,500 and 3,000 riel per can or small bottle

COFFEE

Coffee, which can be found in local stalls and cafes, usually comes from Ratanakiri, or is imported from Vietnam, more rarely from Laos.

Cambodian coffee, due to its roasting, has a little chocolate taste, while Vietnamese coffee is generally stronger and bitter. Both usually make a fairly thick drink. No more electric coffee machines, here we practice the technique of sock coffee, the coffee being mixed with water and boiled, then passed through long fabric filters.

HOT COFFEE

The little black remains the prerogative of the "grandfathers". This is a fairly thick and tight coffee, usually served with a lot of sugar.
On request, it can be served with milk, which in most cases will be sweetened condensed milk. Some restaurants will ask you to give the choice between condensed milk or "fresh" milk.

Count between 1000 and 1500 riel per cup or small glass.

 
ICE COFFEE

While in some European countries, the consumption of iced coffee remains quite rare, even confined to a few Starbucks and co-type chains, here it is drunk daily, in the city as in the countryside.

Cambodian iced coffee, dark or sweetened condensed milk
With ice cubes, the tight side of local coffee will go much better. As always, ask for sugar to be added in moderate amounts, if you don't like coffee syrup, and beware of iced lattes, which are also usually served not only with condensed milk but also with it. a spoon of sugar. The result, however, is not unpleasant!

Depending on the location, black iced coffee will cost you between 1,000 and 1,500 riel, an iced latte between 1,500 and 2,000… In Phnom Penh, there are currently many tea / coffee shops open. The Park café and other T&C chains are geared towards a relatively wealthy, rather local clientele - the price of a glass is about twice what you will find in the street or in local stalls, while other establishments are settling in expatriate districts to offer a whole range of imported coffees that will delight wealthy coffee-chocolate detractors.

A sign of the growing interest in locally produced coffee, an Australian company has also set up in Cambodia and offers very good quality coffees from Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam assembled in different blends before being roasted and packed in Phnom Penh.

THE SPECIALS AND ACCOMPANIMENTS

For slightly less common dishes, specific to Khmer cuisine, such as preparations of Chrouk pickles, whose vegetables are sometimes dried before being marinated in a sweet and sour solution, and which are consumed as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to some dishes, the Mam, the different types of Prohok, specific fish preparations that seem uninviting but nonetheless tasty, or the Toek krueng, which are sometimes eaten as an accompaniment, sometimes as a main course with rice and vegetables ...

CANE EGG OMELETTE WITH SALTED FISH

Cambodians appreciate eggs, especially duck eggs, and consume them in all kinds of ways. Hard-boiled eggs, fried eggs grilled on both sides, incubated eggs ...

During meals, omelets are popular, and we commonly find on menus the dogg trey proma pong tea, a duck egg omelet cooked with a type of salted fish, similar to prahok, trey proma.
This omelet is always accompanied by some raw vegetables, and fish sauce spiced up with a little chili, and we eat it all with rice.

In markets and places where dishes are prepared ahead of time, it is easier to find duck egg omelettes with sloek s'om, a very fragrant aromatic plant. Again, they are eaten with rice, a little fish sauce and chili.

PROHOK DOT

Prohok is therefore the strong fragrant Cambodian fish paste, one of the elements of the basic Cambodian meal. Often used in small quantities to flavor certain dishes and especially soups, it is sometimes eaten as is with a little rice in the countryside, and will sometimes be embellished with various ingredients for a slightly more elaborate preparation.

The prohok dot, or grilled, contains a base of prohok and minced pork - often pork belly - to which we have added various flavors, including garlic, lemongrass and chili, before being spread and then grilled. It is eaten with raw vegetables, cucumber, long beans, small round eggplants ..., and sometimes green mango and fresh ginger cut into thin strips.

The prohok being very salty, the dish is eaten with white rice.

SAUTÉED DISHES

The stir-fried dishes, or Char, prepared by the minute using a hot wok or a metal plate placed on a fire, a bit like a plancha, will never cease to delight you and you. surprise.

Rice and sautéed noodles are offered as a single dish, accompanied by a few vegetables and a little meat or seafood. Sautéed vegetables and other dishes - often meat accompanied by a vegetable - green tomato, pepper, cabbage .. ., a spice or a condiment - chili, krueng, ginger ..., with a richer flavor, can be eaten with white rice and sometimes a small bowl of broth.
 
You will find them in all restaurants, sometimes prepared in advance in small street canteens, displayed in windows arranged in small racks, and almost everywhere you can ask to have them prepared at the minute - Mhob commang, and specify the composition if you can't find what you want in the menu.

Sauteed crab with green pepper

A true delight for seafood lovers, and especially crab lovers, the crab stir-fry with green pepper seems even better tasted by the sea, in Kep, at the city crab market, or in Sihanoukville.

Of the two types of saltwater crab - kdam Ses and kdam Thmor, caught in Cambodia, it is the Ses crab, horse crab, which lends itself best to the wok test. Coarsely shelled, the crab is sautéed in a slightly sweet sauce - some put a little mango jam - with local pepper, very fragrant and slightly spicy, for a dish that delights the taste buds of all fruit lovers of Wed.

For a freshness of the first order, we will order these dishes preferably in Kep, Kampot or Sihanoukville ... In Kep, restaurants located near the crab market have made a specialty of this dish sold at a very low price. .

At the Sihanoukville market, you can buy your crabs still alive in the market, and you will find at the back of the market a few stalls that will prepare them and cook them as you wish - steamed, sautéed in pepper etc ..., for about 6000 or 7000 riel per kg.

SAUTÉED BEEF WITH GINGER

Dish that is found at all meals, sometimes even at breakfast with chicken meat, sautéed ginger. In the small boui boui you will also find a larger quantity of ginger than meat, previously minced, before being sautéed with a few small fresh onions and a little garlic.

If the ginger used for this dish is young, the flavor will be fresh and never pungent. Older, it will release a more powerful flavor, with a more spicy flavor.

A small portion in the morning with white rice should cost you between 3,000 and 5,000 riel, as a main course for lunch or dinner, around 6,000 to 8,000 riel.

Sautéed water bindweed

Among the popular stir-fried vegetables, water bindweed, of which there are two types - Trokuon Khmer and Trokuon Chin, is quickly cooked and delicious with a little garlic, chili and oyster sauce - Preng Kchong.

In restaurants, if you request it, you will be served free of charge a nice plate of water bindweed sautéed with the offal of a chicken or a duck that you have requested in advance.
You will also find them sautéed plain, or with beef.

SOUPS

Like most Cambodian dishes, soups are eaten with white rice.

You will have the choice between clear soups, embellished with herbs and aromatic plants such as lemongrass, kaffir lemon leaves and other galangal roots, or you can taste slightly more substantial soups, prepared with a base of aromatics , curry, or krueng, this paste of spices and aromatics a little green typically Cambodian, in which various vegetables, meat or fish will have simmered.

Those in a hurry will try to prepare the “Out of the pan - Krau Chhnang” Soup, which consists of pouring boiling water over a few leaves of kaffir lemon, Thai basil, ronna, to which we will have previously added a little of dried fish or raw beef and hard-boiled egg cut in half, then drizzle with a drizzle of lime juice.

SOUPS

Like most Cambodian dishes, soups are eaten with white rice.

You will have the choice between clear soups, embellished with herbs and aromatic plants such as lemongrass, kaffir lemon leaves and other galangal roots, or you can taste slightly more substantial soups, prepared with a base of aromatics. , curry, or krueng, this paste of spices and aromatics a little green typically Cambodian, in which various vegetables, meat or fish will have simmered.

Those in a hurry will try to prepare the “Out of the pan - Krau Chhnang” Soup, which consists of pouring boiling water over a few leaves of kaffir lemon, Thai basil, ronna, to which we will have previously added a little of dried fish or raw beef and hard-boiled egg cut in half, then drizzle with a drizzle of lime juice.

SOMLOR KORKO

Somlor Korko is a very popular and popular soup in Cambodia. The preparations vary a bit depending on the region - for example in the province of Siem Reap, we add a little coconut milk to the usual preparation, some people will like to add a little prahok to the preparation.

It is a soup made up of many green vegetables and fruits, among which pumpkin, eggplant, eggplant peas, green papaya, green banana, green jackfruit, bitter cucumber leaves, and other aromatic leaves cooked in a broth made of condiments. mixed and prepared specifically for this recipe (Krueng Korko)… The relatively thick consistency of the soup is due to the addition of grilled powdered rice (Angkor Ling).

You can add to it according to your taste, fish or meat - pork, spare ribs, chicken ...

A portion of Somlor Korko for one to two people will cost you between 8,000 and 12,000 riel depending on the location.

SNGAO NGAM NGOV

Like all Sngao, this soup is actually a very light broth flavored with Ngaw Ngew, the famous lime –Kroch Chmar, previously salted and candied.

Add a little garlic and some Sloek Kteum, those small fresh onions halfway between the onion and the chives, to this lemony but non-acidic broth.

This soup goes well with chicken meat, but you can prefer fish or duck ...

SOMLOR MCHOUR KTIS

There are a lot of soups called Mchour, which means sour. Some preparations including tamarind, which will be the main ingredient to give this flavor much appreciated by Cambodians, will have a real touch of acidity, which we will like to pair with various vegetables and fish.

The sour flavor of Somlor Mchour Ktis is very softened by the addition of coconut milk (Ktis) in the preparation. We thus benefit from the fresh mixture of spices and aromatics combined with the sweetness of milk. Add aubergines and small round aubergines that taste a little more bitter, a little pineapple that adds a sweet and sour touch, and it's a real treat!

Between 6 and 12,000 riel per dish, depending on the location.

SOMLOR MCHOUR KRUENG 

Traditional Cambodian soup, Somlor Mchour Krueng, is cooked from the local "krueng" spice blend including lemongrass, kaffir lemon leaves, galangal, turmeric, little buddha fingers, garlic and dried chili. The paste composed of these finely chopped and expertly dosed ingredients gives a slightly acidic flavor to the soup broth.

It is often embellished with water bindweeds and different aromatic leaves, depending on where it is prepared. Cambodians generally prefer to cook it with ribs or beef.

The dish, accompanied by rice, is more eaten at lunchtime than in the evening.

SOMLOR MCHOUR YUON

This soup, known as "Vietnamese" and of which variants actually exist in Vietnam, is made up of different vegetables and fruits which gives it this slightly tart flavor: tomatoes, lotus shoots -krao'aov chouk, pineapple and trolach, a kind of squash in very mild taste, halfway between zucchini and pumpkin. The acidic flavor is supported by a little tamarind.

We add aromatic plants, a little spring onion -sloek kteum, and according to the tastes of the cooks, sloek m'om ...

The preparation goes well with chicken, ribs or fish.
Between 4,000 and 10,000 riel per portion.

Soup Chhnang Dey

The soup called "Chhnang Dey" (casserole or earthenware pot) is in fact a Cambodian soup of the fondue type whose ingredients can vary according to the tastes of each one.

We can therefore add meat (beef, tripe, sometimes beef brains), vegetables (Chinese cabbage, water bindweed, -enoki mushrooms, straw mushrooms, shiitake, chrysanthemum leaves, etc.) to the soup broth, noodles or even fried or dried soy bean skin, which is also consumed in China and Japan (Yuba) ...

Appreciated for a dinner with friends or family, this dish, very fashionable some time ago, is gradually giving way in the capital to the recently installed Suki Soup chains in the country and extremely popular.

Count around 16,000 to 20,000 riel for a well-stocked pan for 3 to 4 people, depending on the ingredients chosen.

KHMERS DISHES

Small, unique dishes and snacks aside, traditional Khmer cuisine is roughly divided into four main types of culinary preparation.

Soups, Sngao or Somlor which, unlike noodle soups of Chinese ancestry served in the morning and in the evening on the outskirts of the markets, give off typically local flavors, and whose flavors sometimes even vary depending on the provinces in which you taste them .

The stir-fry dishes, or Char, prepared by the minute using a hot wok will never cease to delight and surprise you as the range of possible combinations is wide… Dishes with ginger and the famous Kampot pepper , tamarind, spices, condiments,… you can accommodate your favorite meats, fish, seafood and vegetables in a thousand ways.

Salads, Gnoam, Bok, Phlea, prepared with raw vegetables, fruits and herbs bring a touch of freshness to the meal. You will appreciate among other salads with transparent vermicelli, grapefruit, or more unusual, those prepared with banana flowers or bitter quinine leaves.

Fried or grilled meats and fish, Chieng, Ang, Dot, always accompanied by a little something that will enhance the grills you have ordered. The fish will benefit from being accompanied by a small green mango salad, while the chickens, often brushed with a honey-based marinade and the veal roasting on a spit near the beer-gardens will be tasted with raw vegetables and aromatic leaves. and your choice of pepper or chilli sauce or, for the more adventurous, a prahok sauce.

To these large families of dishes, you will add some steamed dishes, such as the popular Amok, a kind of local curry, and others, unclassifiable, which can be fried, sautéed or marinated, lacquered or simply simmered in a pan, that you will find in the "special" section.

GROCERY PRODUCTS & DRY PRODUCTS

Often located inside markets, small stalls offer all kinds of local dry products, difficult to find in mini-marts and other supermarkets flourishing in the beautiful districts of the capital, but nevertheless essential for the preparation of Khmer cuisine. , guarantors of the authentic flavor of cooked dishes.

If some stalls offer in addition to a few household products, "general" grocery products such as salt, oil, vinegar, and other sauces often imported from Vietnam, China or Thailand, alongside cloves of garlic, onions. red beans and other dried beans, carefully stacked, some stalls specialize, offering a range of typically Khmer products.

We will therefore find there pell-mell, sellers of prahok, smoked or dried fish, sellers of molasses - drawn from the sugar palm and widely used in Cambodian cuisine, fried pork skin, legumes of all kinds, or even sellers of chewing plants "making tobacco" among the elderly.

Fish sauce embellished with garlic chilli, the so-called Koh Kong sauce enhances, without being too spicy, dishes of shellfish, fish and grilled chicken. It is also with this sauce that the "Koh Kong" prawns are marinated, one of the rare Cambodian dishes where the prawns are served raw.

There are industrial versions, imported from neighboring Vietnam or Thailand, with a much sweeter flavor than the sauce made by hand in Cambodia. Depending on taste, it will sometimes take a more acidic or slightly saltier turn.

Contrary to what the name suggests, Koh Kong fish sauce can be found on every market stall across the country, but it's especially delicious in Kampot!

VEGETABLES

The same vegetables can be found in the markets all year round. Contrary to what the vision of a still very rural Cambodia might lead one to hope, more than 70% of the market garden produce available on the stalls is imported from the three large neighboring producers, Vietnam, China and Thailand.

Market gardening in Cambodia is roughly limited to two periods of the year; rice is planted after the harvest in November, as well as during the months of April and May. If you therefore want to promote local production, it is during the period December-January and during the month of June that you will have the best chance of obtaining vegetables from Cambodian agriculture.

The south of Kandal province, helped by its proximity to Vietnam, whose agricultural techniques have been learned, and Battambang province are currently the regions that produce the most. Mondulkiri, benefiting from warmer temperatures than the rest of the country, is on the way to becoming an important region for the cultivation of vegetables.
 
Banana heart
BANANA HEART
Wax squash
WAX SQUASH
Cow bean
DOLIC BEAN
Konchaet
KONCHAET
Bamboo shoot
BAMBOO SHOOT
Green soybean
GREEN SOY
Water lily stem
LILY STEM
Trob gnor
TROB GNOR

BAMBOO SHOOT

Bamboo grows easily in all regions of the country, so it is naturally that we find bamboo shoots on the plates.

They are cooked in soup, Somlor Tompaing, in Kho, caramelized with pork or duck eggs, or in slightly acidic pickles, Tompaing Chhrouk.

Tompaing cream, or dried, are also cooked in Kho.

DOLIC BEAN (SONDAEK KOUR)

This bean, which can grow up to three feet in length, tastes relatively similar to classic green beans. Plants
whose leaves are similar to the green bean are climbing and rise to height of man, installed on wooden stakes.

Plantation of cowpeas in the courtyard of a Cambodian house - Angkor Borei, Takeo Province - Cambodia

We keep some beans that we dry, in order to plant the seeds that will allow new plants to grow.

Dried cow beans and seeds - Angkor Borei, Takeo Province - Cambodia

In Cambodia, it is consumed mainly as a raw food, accompanying grilled meat dishes, or dishes like Toek Krueng, Prohok, sometimes sautéed, with a little meat and Kroeung (mixture of spices).

It is also often used in the composition of sautéed rice, or sautéed with a little meat, most often pork or beef. Fried, in small bundles coated with dough, it can be found to be nibbled on on the market stalls.

Count between 2000 and 3000 riel for a kilo.

TROB GNOR

Trob Gnor are small vegetables from the eggplant family, of which there are many varieties in Cambodia. They grow in "clusters" on small shrubs with leaves similar to those of classic eggplants.

Trob Gnor, "Thai" peas - Kampot Province, Cambodia

About the size of a chickpea, these little eggplants, with a slightly crunchy skin and whose interior is made up of many tiny little seeds with a slightly bitter taste.

They are found in soups, such as Somlor Korko, curries, and it is also an important ingredient in Battambang-style Toek Krueng.

KONCHAET

Konchaet are cultivated in water. We actually use as a support aquatic plants, which floating on the surface of the water, make a good support for cultivating this plant.

Konchaet

This plant is cooked after having previously removed the kind of white envelope that surrounds the main stems. It is found in soups, Somlor Mchour Konchaet, sautéed with beef, or Trey Boeung Konchaet as an accompaniment to grilled river fish, with a sort of curry sauce.

In restaurants, you can find a Trey Boeung Konchaet between 20,000 and 30,000 riel depending on the size of the fish.

BANANA HEART

We know the heart of palm tree, but in Cambodia, it is the heart of banana that is found in the markets. Young, the heart of the banana tree with a whitish color is consumed mainly in soup, Somlor Mchour 

Daeum Chek.

The taste of the banana heart is not very pronounced, but its slightly crunchy texture is appreciated by Cambodians. It is generally cut into thin slices, added to a slightly acidic soup accompanied by fish. More rarely, we find the heart of banana prepared in a Phlear salad, embellished with very small freshwater prawns, Kompuh

Count 2000 riel for a "section" of heart of banana.

THE LILY STM

The water lily grows in lakes and ponds across the country. Not to be confused with the lotus, in Cambodia, however, we consume the part immersed in water of the stems of two flowers whose roots sink into the muddy bottoms of bodies of fresh water. Sometimes you have to dive several meters deep to get the consumable part.

The stems of lotus like those of water lily, are appreciated by Cambodians, sure to consume a "vegetable" guaranteed without chemical product. The latter are eaten raw, cut into thin slices in the typical Cambodian rice noodle soups Nom Bagn Chok, or in soup, in the so-called "sour" water lily stem soup Somlor Mchour Prolit

When raw, the water lily stem has a fairly discreet flavor, but with a crunchy texture. Cooked in soup, it gives a very particular flavor, very vegetal, to the broth.

Count around 2000 riel for a "bouquet" of water lily stems.

Green soybean

Green soybean, Sondaek Khiev, otherwise known as mung bean, has been cultivated in Cambodia for a very long time. The cultivation of this legume is appreciated by Cambodian peasants because it is short and does not require much water.

We get "bean sprouts" (wrongly named since these beans do not belong to the soybean family), which are found daily on our plates, raw, marinated, sautéed or lightly blanched.

Green soybeans are also appreciated by Cambodians prepared as a dessert. The beans are then cooked in "Bobor", a kind of sweet porridge with beans with a slightly pasty texture, embellished with palm sugar and coconut milk, served depending on the places slightly warm or cold.

MEAT AND FISH

Cambodia is a Buddhist country, but not vegetarian. Meat, or fish, however often in small quantities, are present at all meals in almost all dishes.

All types of meats are eaten, including beef, pork and poultry - duck and chicken. We also quite easily consume goat meat, in soup, and sometimes, small birds, snakes, or even insects, nibbled as snacks rather than full meals. Some stalls or food stalls stamped "Special Meat" also offer dog meat, never named such.

The fish traditionally consumed in the country are rather river fish, which together with rice constitute the basis of the Cambodian meal for a good part of the population, but we also find delicious sea fish and crustaceans all along the coast. Cambodian coast. We also fish in lakes and rivers for freshwater prawns, the largest of which, the Bongkong, are very popular with Cambodians.

EGGS

CHICKEN

CHICKEN - (SACH MENA)

Chicken is a very popular meat in Cambodia. The Cambodians differentiate between two types of chickens, the common chicken and the so-called “field” chicken Moan Srae, with yellow skin, leaner, with harder flesh than its colleague but with a more pronounced flavor. This chicken is particularly appreciated in soups, such as Sngao Chhrouk Sach Moan.

Chicken is everywhere, served from morning to night, fried or roasted, sautéed or in soup. It is often cut into pieces, including the bones, which sometimes makes it quite difficult to eat.

1kg of chicken will be sold at around 18,000 riel, Moan Srae chicken is more expensive.
The spit-roasted, honey-coated chickens you will find along the roads usually sell for between 15,000 and 18,000 riel, depending on the size of the chicken chosen.

EGGS

Cambodians like to eat eggs, especially Pong Ti duck eggs, possibly due to their higher nutritional quality than chicken eggs - Pong Moan.

Roasted chicken eggs street vendor

You will thus find chicken egg skewers offered by street vendors on motorbikes equipped with soundtracks announcing their passage - the “famous” Pong moan ang Phsom Krueng pises, omelets embellished with various ingredients (with onions, Sloek s' om or even a kind of salted fish Trey proma), fried eggs which have the particularity of being fried on both sides, salted eggs (eggs in brine) Pong Ti Pray.

Do not forget either the incubated eggs, duck or quail eggs, steamed, half chick, half hard-boiled egg, which Cambodians like to eat at the end of the day, embellished with various sauces and herbs. .

Turtle eggs, goose eggs and field chicken - Cambodia

Goose eggs are also found, recognizable by their size double to an average chicken egg, and the eggs of "Khmer field chicken", Moan Srae, are recognizable by their size on the contrary, one and a half times smaller than that of a classic chicken egg.

Rarer, turtle eggs, Pong Andaek, offer an astonishing texture: if the yolk cooks in the same way as any egg, the white of these eggs remains liquid even after cooking.
There are two main types of turtles in Cambodia, Andaet , and Kontyey.

These turtles live on land and in freshwater.

While the Kontyey turtle, recognizable by its relatively flat shell, is commonly eaten and readily available, Andaet turtle meat with a very round, somewhat scaly and very hard shell, formerly appreciated for its fine flavor of her flesh, is she forbidden to consume.
It seems, however, that the sale of eggs on a small scale is tolerated.

CAMBODIAN DESSERTS

Although local eating habits are quite different from the Western way of composing a meal, starter, main course, dessert, and Cambodians consume real dishes for breakfast, there are however a variety of desserts and sweets that Khmers like to eat outside and with meals and often outside, as evidenced by the many dessert stands that set up around markets often in the early afternoon and stay until late in the evening.

These stands offer Bong'aem, desserts composed of various ingredients that can be given as desired in small bowls, in which we will often add sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, sugar and crushed ice.

Throughout the day, we will also find cakes -Name- often made from rice and various fruits, steamed or even fried, some of which are eaten mainly during festivals and traditional ceremonies.

CAMBODIAN DESSERTS

NAME BOMPONG

Cambodian rice cake, stuffed with coconut, palm sugar

The name bompong, Cambodian rice cakes that owe their name to their pipe shape, are filled with brown or white palm sugar, and grated coconut. The whole thing is often sprinkled with a little more sugar, grated coconut and white sesame seeds.

Count between 500 and 1000 riel for a cake.

BONG'AEM DOMNAB

Bong'aem domnab is a set of candied small fruits -jujubes, papaya and kantout ...- or dried -such as for bananas and lotus seeds ..., of which you can select three or four kinds to constitute your dessert. strictly speaking.
Add sweetened condensed milk, liquid sugar, crushed ice on top.

Count 1500 riel for a small bowl.

BONG'AEM LOT

Also named batch like the famous short batch noodles, this dessert is also made from rice. Green or pink, these are also the noodles that can be found in Vietnamese "three-color" desserts.

Their texture, soft, and a little gelatinous, constitutes an interesting experience for visitors. Some Cambodians like them because they would be good for health, consuming them alone, with condensed milk or a little coconut milk, a little liquid sugar and crushed ice, where associated with other bong'aem, such as for example the proklong, or chahouy kmao ...

Count a bowl for 1000 riel, a little more if you add more bong'aem.

BOBOR CHADEUV

We especially know the bobor as being a rice soup, served flavored, with a little meat or fish, or plain as an accompaniment to dried fish or kho, during breakfast or meals taken at the end of the day. , but there is also a sweet version of the famous porridge, the bobor chadeuv.

Unlike the first, the bobor chadeuv is a slightly sweet dessert, cooked from beans and sticky rice - bay domnab, which gives it this rather compact and sticky texture.
It is eaten as is, without adding ice or condensed milk.

Count between 1000 and 1500 riel for a bowl.

BONG'AEM CHAHOUY KMAO

We usually associate two, sometimes three kinds of bong'aem among the metal containers lined up on the dessert stands of the markets, to which we add a little crushed ice, condensed milk and liquid sugar to constitute his dessert à la carte. .

If the bong'aem offered may vary depending on the location, we will always find Chahouy Kmao, or Chahouy noir, a kind of jelly made from plants with a slight liquorice taste.

It is also this jelly that is found in certain Chinese drinks that can be found on sale all over the country and which are believed to be good for your health.

Count 1000 to 1500 riel for a bowl.

BONG'AEM KROB CHEA

Krob Chea are small seeds of a local aromatic plant, similar to basil. When soaked in water or a liquid, this little seed, crunchy like a kiwi seed, has the particularity of being coated with a small, somewhat gelatinous membrane.

Apart from the fact that these seeds are, according to the Cambodians, good for health, the addition of Krob chea in a bowl of Bong'aem is pleasant mainly for the texture it brings to the dessert, crunchy and soft at the same time. , giving off no particular flavor. We will add them in particular to a bowl of Chahouy ...

Count between 1000 and 1500 riel per bowl ...

POT CHOMHOY & POT KOMBAO

Typical dessert of the country, consumed as a small sweet snack by Cambodians and especially children, Pot Chomhoy is not sold in town, and it is rather random encounters on the small country roads, in hanging pots. on bicycle racks you will find your happiness.

A small portion in a banana leaf that makes a superb improvised little bowl, a little grated coconut on a slightly sticky, but mild flavored dough, made from corn, the Pot Chomhoy is even better served a little hot.

Usually, Pot Chomhoy vendors also offer Pot Kombao, slightly sweet white corn, steamed and flavored with coconut, sesame, and sugar.

Count around 500 riel for a small portion.

CHAHOUY, THE KHMÈRE JELLY

Chahouy is actually a kind of jelly made from seaweed. They are made into small jars, flavored with nuts and coconut milk, which are very popular desserts for children. Many street vendors will sell these little pink pots at 500 riel a piece.

We also find Chahouy for dessert "for adults", and whose jelly is mixed with chicken egg which gives the dessert its golden color and a taste close to flan, always served with a little ice and milk. coconut.
It is a refreshing and pleasant dessert, slightly sweet.

JACQUIER'S NEST, PLEATED FLOWER AND CORE

Named so because of their respective shape, the shape of a small flower, a fruit stone or even filaments rolled up like a nest, these small orange-yellow egg cakes that are found in Thailand, are tasted in Cambodia at the way of all the other "Bong'aem": a little coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk and crushed ice.

The texture of their soft, slightly grainy paste goes marvelously with Chahouy, a jelly flavored with coconut or egg, with which they are generally matched on dessert stands. They are also served with small portions of taro or soy cake.

We sometimes find the three assorted cakes in trays, sold by a few street vendors who tour picnic places. They are then eaten as they are, as small snacks to snack on.

ALL OF

Local cuisine

Khmer cuisine, less known than that of its imposing neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam, is a cuisine with subtle flavors that nevertheless deserves to be known and tamed.

It is a varied cuisine based on the freshness, freshness of herbs and aromatics from markets or gardens, spices, fruits and vegetables of endless varieties, combining spicy, sour and sweet flavors in balance ...

You will see Cambodians snacking throughout the day and understand that food holds a special place in everyday life. If you linger a little longer in front of the menus of the local restaurants, you will be surprised by the variety of dishes and preparations that you can taste there.

Thus, breakfast becomes a meal in its own right, with its morning specialties of noodles, rice and other salty dishes that everyone will not fail to take, before starting a long day of work in one of these small stalls that border the streets early in the morning, attracted by the aroma of soups on the fire for hours already.

During your lunches and dinners, you will decorate your essential portion of rice with various dishes to share ... Meals, shared with the family, traditionally consist of a stir-fried dish, soup and white rice.

Somlor or Sngao, soups with spicy and tangy flavors, meat or vegetable dishes Char –sautés– grilled fish and small salads of all kinds ... at home and in the restaurant, it's a minute cooking, just spicy and always tasty that you can enjoy together.

Finally, you will find throughout the day at the market or in the street unique small dishes and other snacks that you can nibble for a few hundred riel ... Fruits, spring rolls and other papaya salads, crisp fried insects but not very tasty , fried or grilled small cakes… you will inevitably find some to your taste… It would be a shame not to sit down at one of these stands and not be tempted!

If you are still not sated, a stop at a dessert stand might give you that sweet touch that you will appreciate ...

TRADITIONAL MUSIC

THE SMOT, WORDS OF WISDOM AND SINGING POETRY

Moul Horn, singer Smot, sung at funerals and other important Buddhist ceremonies

A religious song, whose texts are based on Buddhist writings and poetic texts, the Smot, practiced by lay men or women, is heard mainly at funerals, or during Buddhist ceremonies such as Meas Bochea, Visak Bochea and during the Pchum Ben (Cambodian Day of the Dead) celebrations.

The Smot, has a unique educational value, through its words of poetry and its slow melodies with slightly plaintive inflections and tinged with nostalgia, reflections on the meaning of life and its cycles, evoking the main principles of life in society supposed to help find the right path to live in peace.

The singers of Smot are also called in when a family member falls seriously ill. Here again, the words lavished facilitate acceptance and bring relief to men tormented by the trials of life.

However, and although this is often the case, the repertoire of sung texts is not limited to serious subjects. We will sometimes hear lighter texts, sometimes humorous, evoking a multitude of different subjects.

It is by word of mouth that we know and invite these singers of Smot, now rather old and whose art was transmitted to them by masters who have now disappeared. They officiate in the villages surrounding their place of residence. In the absence of being able to invite a singer during the ceremonies, recordings are sometimes broadcast.

Although many young people do not feel comfortable listening to these songs which address subjects that sometimes frighten them, some have chosen to join classes set up by Cambodian Living Arts in the province of Kompong. Speu, where, anxious to be able to participate in the preservation of a very old art and bearer of the Cambodian identity, they study alongside Ms. Koet Ran and Mr. Moul Horn

KHMERE MUSIC

CLASSIC & TRADITIONAL WEDDING MUSIC

This music, played specifically during Khmer wedding ceremonies, accompanies all stages. It is a primordial witness to the commitment made by the two newlyweds to their families and guests, and a call for happiness for the new family thus created. Some believe that the absence of music during a ceremony could bring bad luck to the families of the bride and groom. It is of course also an essential ingredient which helps to make this event a festive and jovial moment for all the guests.

There are two main styles of wedding music "Aphea Piphea", the difference of which lies mainly in the type of instruments that make up the orchestral formations.

The so-called "classical" Khmer wedding music is the oldest form, played by a set of five typically Khmer instruments: stringed instruments, the Chapei Dong Veng, the Tro Khmer, the Ksae Diev, the Peyor, a kind of flute. discreet nasal sound as well as a small drum, the Skor Dai.
From this classical formation comes an intimate music, with soft sounds and slow rhythms, offering a discreet but refined accompaniment of the ceremony.

After having been abandoned in favor of orchestral groups playing so-called "traditional" music, with more playful, more modern sounds, the classical form of wedding music is gradually finding its audience among Cambodians, who increasingly wish to assert themselves. their specific cultural identity and preserve these ancestral artistic know-how, traces of which can be found on the stone walls of Angkor.

The so-called "traditional" Khmer wedding music is therefore, as indicated a little above, played by a more modern orchestral group, having incorporated more recent instruments: we find the string instruments Takhe, the Khim the Tro Saw and Tro Or, a small Khloy bamboo flute, and the small Skor Dai drum.

These instruments, more recent than those used in classical music, remain however very old instruments, some of which were imported from China to Cambodia several hundred years ago before the Khmers re-appropriated them.

Traditional music music shares its musical repertoire with classical music. Thousands of pieces are passed down from master to student orally, and the musical heritage is passed on from generation to generation.

CAMBODIAN MUSIC

Music, whose Khmer word  “phleng” comes from“leng” and means “to have fun” “to play”, is a preponderant art, an important vector of culture and social cohesion for all the inhabitants of the Kingdom, punctuating the daily life of each one in multiple forms.

TRADITIONAL MUSIC

As certain scenes on the walls of Angkor's temples attest, music has been a part of Khmer daily life since ancient times.

In Cambodia, it takes on a magical aspect, allowing the accomplishment of certain rituals of possession, such as Arek music, spiritual, accompanying religious ceremonies, funerals or weddings, or even entertainment, such as Mohaori music. , within the walls of the Royal Palace or improvised by popular and folk music orchestras in the countryside.

All the knowledge of this music is transmitted orally from master to student.

Although the war saw the disappearance of many masters and seasoned players seriously undermining the practice of these different forms of music, traditional music nevertheless remains at the heart of Khmer society, immutably punctuating the main events of life. Cambodians.

MODERN MUSIC

How not to evoke the myriad of variety songs produced locally, which resonate in all the karaokes of the kingdom, carried by a number of freshies raised to the rank of national stars for a few songs, and which are often inspired by musical productions from Japan, from Korea - also extremely popular in Cambodia for its romantic television series.
Many songs looping over the television screens of restaurants and cafes are simple covers of Vietnamese or Thai hits reinterpreted in Khmer.

In recent years, hip-hop, which is also very popular in local clubs, has been developing in the Khmer language.

Finally, it would be inconceivable not to mention "the Emperor of Khmer song" Sin Sisamouth, who disappeared during the Khmer Rouge regime, who, with Ros Serey Sothea, still represents the whole golden age of Cambodia in the 1960s and remains the leader of a Khmer variety with poetic texts.

CAMBODIAN WEDDING

CONDUCT OF A KHMER WEDDING CEREMONY

The marriage, with well-defined stages and rites, previously took place over several days, from three days to a whole week. It was during the 16th century that King Preah Chey Chesda Thebdey established its unfolding which continues to this day.
Modernity - in Phnom Penh, wedding parties now often take place in restaurants or in complexes reserved for this purpose - and the financial constraints linked to the organization of such a long ceremony finally led Cambodians to reduce the festivities to a duration of about a day and a half, considered more reasonable.

Traditionally, the organization of the party generally fails the family of the bride, who received at the time of the marriage proposal by the suitor and his family a dowry of up to several thousand dollars, and which will be used to cover a party. the cost of the ceremony.

Among the costs will be the rental of the outfits that will be worn by the bride and groom and their groomsmen and bridesmaids --neak komdor, who will change them at least five times, depending on the time of day and the course of the wedding rites, remuneration for all musicians, donations for the Achar, lay master of ceremonies and bonzes, as well as the preparation of meals, the rental of tables and tents.

PITHI SOUT MY

On the first day, at the end of the afternoon, the ceremony begins with the presence of monks, whose coming in an even number, is a sign of good omen, symbol of unity for the bride and groom. They come to recite Sutra in the presence of family and close friends, announcing by their song to the souls of the ancestors of both families the celebration of the union which will mark the arrival of a new member in the families.

This first day ends with a dinner shared with the family.

PITHI HAE CHOMNUON

The groom, his family and the guests form a procession to the bride's house

The next day, early in the morning, a procession of the guests leaves the groom's house, It is the groom, his groomsmen and his family who come to the bride's house with their arms laden with gifts, brought on trays. Once arrived, the procession deposits the food and the families are introduced, following traditional rites originating from various legends, such as the exchange of fruits and flowers Sla (betel).

One such story, Som Sla Kanseng, reports that two peasant buffalo herders wishing to seal their friendship, decide to marry their children in order to become parents. As a mark of respect for this promise of mutual commitment, the two peasants exchange a krama scarf filled with betel nuts, a gesture that is still performed during the presentation of gifts and the presentation of families at the end. of the procession.

Another legend tells us that four young friends, each endowed with particular abilities, one possessing the gifts of clairvoyance, the other of magic, the other two being respectively an exceptional shooter and swimmer. After finishing their studies and on the way back home, the young man who can read the future announces to his friends that their return home will put on their way a young woman who will become the wife of one of the them. Shortly after, they see a young woman who was swimming suddenly attacked by a large bird. Doing neither one nor two the shooter descends the bird while the swimmer throws himself into the water and brings the inert body of the young woman back to the bank. The last one uses his magical powers to bring the young woman back to life. The four young men who fell in love with their young protégé, decide to appeal to Buddha to decide between them. This one decides it is the first to have touched her, the boy with the great qualities of swimmer who will be able to marry her. The seer, the magician and the shooter are transformed and become the mother, father and brother of the young woman.

It is according to this legend that at the wedding, three flowers –Pka Sla- are also given to the father, the mother and the brothers and sisters of the bride to show their gratitude.

In recent years, following Western tradition, some newlyweds wishing to follow a certain fashion or to appear in a more modern light, have chosen to proceed with an exchange of alliance. It is after Pithi Hae Chomnuon that this exchange takes place.

The bride and groom and their suite will get changed while the guests are offered breakfast.

FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS OF CAMBODIA

THE LEGEND OF THE NEW YEAR

The celebration of the Khmer New Year seems to be linked to beliefs of Brahmanic origin, Cambodia having been centuries ago, a country practicing the cult of the three main gods from the Hindu religion, Brahma Vishnu and Siva ...

In short, at the origin of the New Year celebrations, a legend ...

Long ago, the four-faced god Preah Prom heard of a young human named Thomabal Komar, whose intelligence is said to be extraordinary. Fired with interest in this young man, Preah Prom decides to visit him to test him. If the young man proves to be able to answer his riddle, Preah Prom, convinced of his superiority, offers to offer him his head as a reward. The frightened young man does not know what to say, but ultimately has no choice but to comply with God's request, who asks him: "What are the three acts that bring luck and success every day? "

As he had thought, the young man finds himself unable to answer ... Ashamed and frightened he fled into the forest, then tired, sits down to rest for a few moments under a tree.
From there, he quickly perceives a discussion between two giant eagles perched a little higher on the branches of the tree. They already know that today someone is going to die because he could not answer the simple question posed by Preah Prom ...

What brings success and success to men, however, are three simple acts performed daily. When you get up, men have to wash their faces ... then during the day to shower ... Finally in the evening, before going to bed, do not forget to wash your feet ...

Thomabal Komar, who understands the language of animals, does not miss a beat in the discussion then sets out again for the city to bring his answer to God.

The God, held by his promise, therefore offers his head to the young man. And it is at the top of Mont Mérou that this head will go to lodge ... Immersed in water, it would cause the seas and oceans to dry up, on land, it would destroy all life, and would transform the air into a giant furnace ...

And since then, every year, it is one of the twelve daughters of Preah Prom who descends on Mount Mérou to take care of their father's head for a year. Each descends on her mount, one of the twelve animals of Khmer mythology. In 2011, (2555, Buddhist year), it was the rabbit who therefore accompanied the goddess KaruneiThevi, whose name in Khmer means gentle, lovable.

This year the Thoas, or sign of the rabbit, liked Sesame Lngor and soybean, Sondaek, so the year must have been normally favorable for these two crops ...

THE SIGNS OF THE KHMERS ZODIAC

The Khmer Moha Songkran horoscope follows a cycle that renews every 12 years. The first day of each new year is around mid-April, the precise date is calculated each year by the Haura, a sort of diviner astrologers who reside at the Royal Palace. It was on this day that one of the Preah Prom daughters descends to earth on one of the twelve animals of the Khmer horoscope, similar to the Chinese and Vietnamese zodiac signs.
 
Note that in the latter, the year of the Cambodian Rabbit corresponds to the year of the Cat in Vietnam.

Sign Sign in Khmer
Year Buddhist year
Rat Chout 2008 2552
Beef Chlaeu 2009 2553
Tiger Kal 2010 2554
Rabbit Thoas 2011 2555
Dragon Rong 2012 2556
Serpent Masagn 2013 2557
Momei Horse 2014 2558
Momae Goat 2015 2559
Vork Monkey 2016 2560
Rooster Roka 2017 2561
Dog Chhor 2018 2562
Kao Pig 2019 2563

STREET VENDORS, AMBULANT (DE) VENDORS

On foot, on horseback, in car and in sailing boat, as Prévert's poem would say, the street vendors of the kingdom roam the streets relentlessly, at the controls of their carts or bicycles on which are piled up quantities of food or goods. .

If certain small services, such as sharpening knives, once constituting a full-fledged profession provided by grandfathers who, equipped with their only sharpening wheel and a small wooden stool, were responsible for giving to tired kitchen utensils a new life, are activities that are disappearing completely, we continue to find on every street corner, who a broom seller, who an ice cream seller, who a bread seller ...

The oxcarts carrying utility pottery -changkrae, charcoal pots, terracotta pans ... which still mingled not so long ago with the roar of motorcycles and Lexus in the capital are still visible in the neighborhoods peripheral, performing their nonchalant round led by peasants from the surrounding countryside ...

Helping to brighten up the soundscape of the neighborhood, the street vendors are often equipped with soundtracks, sometimes musical - in the depths of the countryside, the lambada will announce to the children of the village the imminent arrival of the ice-cream seller, a cyclist accompanied by 'a powerful soundtrack showing the last pieces of Khmer variety will accompany the passage of the seller of pulled sugar, a local sweet with a flavor very similar to nougat.

Repetitive announcements broadcast by bicycle bread sellers "Paing Paing ... Nom Paing Bayon ...", sellers of brooded eggs whose price variations can be learned from a distance "Pong Ti Kon, mouy crob pram buon roy ... mouy crob pram buon roy ... "resonate in the heads of the inhabitants of all city districts, whose daily life is punctuated by the passage of these wandering vendors in the morning. Late in the evening, it is the clicking of claves, which ends the day, announcing the arrival of Kouy Tiev's soup seller.

Street vendors - Sugar cane - Cambodia

Sellers of sugar cane, peeled and cut into pieces, a treat to chew to extract the sweet juice

Street vendors - Drinks - Cambodia

Street vendor of drinks. Sodas, syrup and coffee, the drinks arrive in a small plastic bag with ice, and a straw.

Street vendors - Cambodian sausages - Cambodia

Beef skewer and Cambodian sausage vendors, grilled on the improvised barbecue on the side

Street vendors - Sweet potato and banana cakes - Cambodia

Vendor of grilled bananas and sweet potato cupcakes, grilled on the barbecue incorporated into the cart

Street vendors - Steamed brioches - Cambodia

Nompao seller, small Chinese buns stuffed with meat and steamed

PLACE TO THE GAME ... OF CARDS!

The aficionados having seen the cafes where it was possible to indulge their passion for gambling closed by the government a few years ago, and although it is strictly forbidden to play in public spaces, the Cambodians having the fiber of the game, it is not uncommon to see small groups banging cardboard on a corner of a table, a kantel or a piece of the sidewalk.

We play Oung Dou, Kate ... but the most popular card game, Teang Leng, also called Kab Hai and whose rules are quite similar to those of the game called "President" in France, although slightly more elaborate, is played by four people.

Everyone knows the rules, although women rarely participate in games. As gambling in Cambodia generally involves putting money into it, it is still considered rather inappropriate for women to get involved in this type of activity. In circles of close family or close friends, however, the question does not seem to arise so much!

A few idle moments, visiting family members on feast days, or a group of friends on picnics, the cards are quickly taken out and slammed on the Kantel by the winners. Each player bets a little money, 500 or 1000 riel, at the start of each game and the first two to finish their game harvest the losing money.

The games are linked quickly, but the game can however last for hours, accompanied well about a few bottles of cold beer, a glass of wiskhy-soda and a few snacks to munch on.

EVERYDAY LIFE

"YEY" REMEDIES FROM THE FOREST

At the edge of the forests, at the entrance to the paths that will lead you to the hills and mountains of the country, to the Cardamones, to Kirirom or even to the Ratanakiri, you will often see small stands on which a few pieces of wood are enthroned. and cleverly arranged mushrooms, offered for sale by some grandmothers wearing kramas, who will know how to give you the secrets and recipes.

Here are some parts, for those who would be curious to know what are the mysteries of these medicines from the forest:

Ling Chu Mushroom

Ling Chu mushrooms that grow on the trunks and roots of forest trees can be picked up once a year. marinated in Sra Sor, a typical Cambodian white rice alcohol.
The resulting drink, according to local beliefs, will help you recover from all types of ailments, as the local expression goes, "cure 100 diseases", as the Khmer expression goes.

Sokrom mushroom

Psit Sokrom, another type of mushroom also growing on the trunks and roots of trees in forests, are prepared in the same way, in rice alcohol, and according to beliefs, the effects are similar, the drink obtained being described as "good for health" in general.
 
Medicinal wood and lianas

From left to right

Va ontong wood (in fact a kind of liana) is infused in hot water or sometimes in white rice alcohol, and should help relieve the effects of various intoxications ... It works a priori also to recover from 'excessive alcohol consumption. Some people sometimes keep a small piece of wood in their mouth, believing that they will be able to drink more, since the properties of this wood allow them to better resist the effects of alcohol.

Ckhae Sraeng wood - is also infused in hot water. The decoction is taken to bring down the fever. Some people think that these infusions taken regularly can also help them cure hepatitis B. Added to another plant called Mok Chneang, this wood is also used as a decoction, to relieve menstrual pain in women.

Kdouy Svit root - also infused in hot water is believed to be used to clear infections, which sometimes manifest as abscesses. It seems that children in particular are prone to these types of infections.

Root Komar Pich
 
Komar Pich root - is preserved in alcohol. The drink obtained would be used as a fortifier - for the weak or the elderly, and would also have aphrodisiac properties.
 
Malaysian Pork Pork Stomach
 
The pre-dried pork bites and stomachs of Malayan porcupine are said to be particularly beneficial for recently-given women who are said to have sorsai kchey, literally young veins, to describe a general state of weakness that makes them particularly prone to various ailments and diseases.

The pork spikes are burnt beforehand and then placed in large jars of alcohol with the dried stomach, which will be kept for several months before being consumed by young mothers, which should help them recover and recover. strengthen.

This remedy, very unattractive, is extremely appreciated by Cambodians.

Pine wood
 
False friends of the series, which could well be found among the various roots and bark of wood mentioned above, these small bundles of wood, which in fact turn out to be pieces of pine wood, extremely rich in sap, very good fuels, sold as such to help ignite the charcoal, still commonly used in Cambodia for cooking.

Khmer Culture

Difficult to draw a representative portrait of Khmer culture, so rich and so complex. Imposing and borrowed from religion, as are the temples of Angkor which give to perceive what the influence of the kingdom could have been in its heyday, Khmer culture and the arts worn by young artists show themselves in a modern light. and sometimes angry without ever breaking with the heritage of ancient times, a timeless guarantee of the unique and magnificent identity of the Khmer country.

In response to the terrible attacks of the Khmer Rouge regime against cultural jewels, musicians, dancers, artists and intellectuals of all kinds, great efforts have been made to resuscitate dying traditional arts and restore them to their former glory.

Diversity of beliefs and everyday “small cultures”, enriched both by the presence of indigenous peoples who, possessing their own languages, religions and traditions for some time to come, continue to live at their own pace, and by the openness of Khmer to what comes from outside ...

It is also the small culture of the country that we appreciate, the art of living and surviving on a daily basis in a contrasting world, between cities on the move in a tremendous development dynamic and traditional countryside with unchanging rhythms, all this small world is rubs shoulders with and coexists in relative but precious serenity.

ANGKOR BOREI, PHNOM DA

The historical sites of the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Fu-Nan, Angkor Borei, and Phnom Da are accessible by boat from the town of Takeo, sailing on the lake of the same name which forms every year during the rainy season, covering a large area in the east of the province.

Takeo Lake, during the rainy season - Takeo Province - Cambodia

Not much remains of the capital's past in the charming little town of Angkor Borei, except for a vast collection of ancient terracotta which still litter the ground in some places, and of which one can see pretty pieces collected in the city museum, located a few meters from the large metal bridge that spans the river.

Angkor Borei - Takeo Province - Cambodia

It is by this same dirt road that one reaches the Phnom Da, located about five kilometers from the museum. This path offers a nice walk in the middle of fields, water and small traditional Khmer houses. Surrounded by rice fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, during the rainy season, it is the water that literally encircles the wooded hill crowned by the ruins of Prasat.

Man-made caves, Phnom Da - Takeo Province - Cambodia

Scattered on the sides of the hill, five caves carved by human hands, shelter Shiva Linga  - Ling Preah Eyso, phallic-shaped stone sculpture representing Shiva) and Uma Yoni (យោនី នាង ឧមា - Yoni Neang Uma, " "sculpted base, feminine pendant of the linga, symbol of birth and fertility), objects of Bramhanic worship then widely practiced in Cambodia.

These caves would have served as a place of cremation during the Khmer Rouge period.

Prasat Phnom Da - Takeo Province - Cambodia

The temple, built in the 6th century, also houses a Linga and a Yoni. The water, poured over the Linga, then flowing into the Yoni, and which we sprinkled or drank, was supposed to transmit the power of the Gods to men and especially to warriors. Nowadays, it is still believed that the water poured on the Lingas brings fertility, and many couples wishing to give birth go to the temples where we can still find the two Brahmin symbols which, together, symbolize the world and life.

The temple, made of bricks, laterite and sandstone and whose top is badly damaged, offers only one opening, three faces being decorated with "doors" surmounted by superb carved lintels.

Not far from Phnom Da, on a small neighboring hill, in the same village, a small temple, Prasat Asrom Moha Eysei, also called by the surrounding villagers Prasat Neang Peou, presenting a very particular Indianizing form, owes its gray color to the basalt stone used for its construction.

Prasat Asrom Moha Eysei, Prasat Neang Peou - Phnom Da, Takeo Province - Cambodia

You can enter and walk around the small structure by taking a small dark corridor with a rather repulsive smell, which surrounds the center of the space where sculptures are placed.

View of the flooded plain, from Phnom Da - Takeo Province - Cambodia

By boat from Takeo: count around US $ 35 for a return boat trip. By road, via Prey Kabbas.
Entrance fee for foreigners to the Phnom Da site, US $ 2.

PHNOM BAYONG, OFF THE BEATEN TRAILS

About forty kilometers south of the town of Takeo, not far from the border with Vietnam, a small temple dating from the 7th century, Prasat Phnom Bayong, perched on the hill of the same name, offers a breathtaking view of the mountain range from Phnom Den and the plain which extends in the southern part of the provinces of Kandal and Takeo, flooded during almost half of the year.

At the small town of Kirivong on National 2, take the first fork on the right, a small paved road leading straight to the wooded mountains of Phnom Den which rise to the east. After maybe 3 or 4 km only, take a small path on the left barely indicated by a sign with faded colors. Borrowed by motorcycles only, it is this path that will take you to the top of Phnom Bayong.

Road to Phnom Bayong - Kirivong District, Takeo Province - Cambodia

After a few hundred meters of flat road, in the middle of small fields of corn, soybeans, and more surprisingly, turmeric, we reach a very small clearing where some leave their motorbikes to continue the rest of the way on foot. The trail then resumes, winding with much more elevation, it is better to be a fairly experienced motorcycle driver to be sure to arrive at your destination: stones and other roots, crevices and many other small obstacles will not fail to your point of 'arrival.

View over Phnom Bayong - Kirivong District, Takeo Province - Cambodia

However, the view deserves that we lift our nose from the handlebars from time to time, offering splendid panoramas of the surrounding mountains, the flooded plain, rice fields with shimmering green colors (end of the rainy season). A good half hour is necessary to arrive at the foot of the steps which lead to Prasat.

Against all expectations, you will be greeted by two small stalls providing cold drinks, snacks, and ... ticket for your motorbike! Treat yourself to a few moments of respite in the shade of a mango tree, before setting off to storm the 390 uneven laterite steps that you will have to climb before reaching the top of Phnom Bayong, culminating at 313 m. altitude.

390 steps to climb to reach the top of Phnom Bayong - Kirivong District, Takeo Province - Cambodia

A few small huts hanging along the last few meters to go, at the doors of which a few nuns in white clothes installed here to take care of the sacred place are cooking a pot of rice, and we finally come out on a magnificent small alley leading to a temple made of bricks and laterite quite damaged but not lacking in charm.

Prasat Phnom Bayong - Kirivong District, Takeo Province - Cambodia

The temple, 12 meters high, houses, as usual for this type of sacred building, several recent statues of Buddha, of Bramhanic deities, as well as candles and incense.

But it is hidden in a corner of the temple, and after having pointed out to you that your coming to this little frequented temple is probably due to your Nissay (និ ស្ស យ័), a kind of special bond that unites you to this place, that a old man with malicious eyes could offer to read you your future.

The "guardian of the temple", fortune teller - Prasat Phnom Bayong - Province of Takeo - Cambodia

Take the book that will be handed to you, place it above your head, and walk the wand that is handed to you over the edge of the booklet before inserting it between two pages.
This is how you will be able, from the mouth of this gentleman who has been living in Phnom Bayong for years, to learn a little more about your future, through the few sayings that your hand will have chosen from the pages of this little book.

The Fortune Book - Prasat Phnom Bayong, Kirivong District, Takeo Province - Cambodia

In the moment, however, all you have to do is finish the walk, enjoy the fresh air and the shade of the surrounding forest before setting off again on your motorbike for a little acrobatic number that will bring you back to the foot of the mountain.

Waterfalls, which are said to be very pretty, are accessible on foot from the temple, a couple of hours away.