Learn Cambodia before you go

10 phrases to learn

In Khmer. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.

At the table

• All the dishes are placed on the table at the same time and shared. Everyone takes rice first and then a little from each dish.
• Cambodians eat rice and soups with a spoon, held in the right hand, and use the fork only to push food onto the spoon. Chopsticks are used mainly for noodle soups.
• Knives are rarely needed, because food is cut into bite-sized pieces in the kitchen.
• It is polite to wait until the oldest person at the table starts eating before you begin.
• Chilli, lime, fish sauce and pickles are on the table so that you can season your food to your own taste.

Local tips

Dishes to try

• Fish amok (អាម៉ុកត្រី): Pieces of freshwater fish in a mixture of kroeung paste, coconut milk and egg, steamed in a cup of banana leaves until it sets to a soft, mousse-like curry. It is topped with a spoon of thick coconut cream and strips of kaffir lime leaf and eaten with rice. Many see it as Cambodia's national dish.
• Num banhchok (នំបញ្ចុក): Soft, lightly fermented rice noodles, freshly made each morning, served cold with a warm green fish curry of lemongrass, turmeric, prahok and coconut milk. Diners heap fresh herbs, banana flower, cucumber and bean sprouts on top. It is the classic Cambodian breakfast, sold by women carrying baskets or at market stalls.
• Kuy teav (គុយទាវ): A clear pork-bone broth, sweetened a little with dried squid, poured over thin rice noodles and topped with minced pork, slices of pork, shrimp or offal. At the table each person adds lime, chilli, garlic oil, bean sprouts and herbs. It is one of the most popular breakfasts in the country.
• Cambodian red curry (សម្លការី): A mild, fragrant curry of chicken or beef simmered in coconut milk with red kroeung paste, lemongrass and spices, with chunks of sweet potato, potato, carrot, onion and long beans. It is eaten with rice, with fresh rice noodles, or with a crusty baguette for dipping, a habit from French times.
• Beef lok lak (ឡុកឡាក់): Strips of beef stir-fried in a dark, glossy sauce of oyster sauce, soy sauce and a little sugar, served on lettuce, tomato and onion with rice. The key is the dip: lime juice with salt and plenty of black pepper, ideally from Kampot. Some cafés top it with a fried egg.
• Samlor kako (សម្លកកូរ): A thick green soup of kroeung, prahok and toasted ground rice, with catfish, pork or chicken and a great mix of vegetables and fruit: green papaya, pumpkin, eggplant, long beans, green banana and leaves. It is sometimes called Cambodian ratatouille.
• Samlor machu (សម្លម្ជូរ): Sour soups made tangy with tamarind and filled with fish, chicken, pork or beef and vegetables such as pineapple, tomato, water spinach and lotus stems. A light sour soup is part of almost every family meal.
• Kampot pepper crab (ក្ដាមឆាម្រេចខ្ចី): Fresh crabs from the Kep crab market, stir-fried with garlic, spring onion and whole strands of fresh green Kampot peppercorns, which are fragrant and gently hot. It is eaten with the fingers at simple seaside restaurants.

Cities to see

• Phnom Penh (capital): The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, The riverside promenade and Wat Phnom, The National Museum of Khmer art.
• Siem Reap: The temples of Angkor, The Old Market and Pub Street, Apsara dance.
• Battambang: French colonial architecture, The bamboo train, Kralan, rice roasted in bamboo.
• Kampong Thom: Sambor Prei Kuk, A stop between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
• Preah Vihear town: The base for Koh Ker, The road to Preah Vihear Temple.
• Kampong Cham: The Kizuna Bridge over the Mekong, The Cham community.

Landmarks and the city map are on the Cambodia trip