Cambodia is the food destination you’ll want to visit—and this is why

As a foodie, there’s little better than travelling the world in search of the most delicious dishes. From paella in Valencia to cannoli in Sicily. But according to top chefs, there’s one destination you should definitely add to your bucket list: Cambodia!

Cambodia is one of the most underrated food destinations in the world. What a shame! Because this Asian country has it all: street food stalls along white sandy beaches with every kind of fish you could imagine, delicious local chillies, fresh coconut water and even extremely surprising dishes such as deep-fried tarantulas—you just have to be brave enough!

A culinary journey through Cambodian cuisine

There are plenty of snack bars and street food stalls serving all kinds of dishes waiting for you in Cambodia. Whether you’re looking for something sweet, spicy, with fish or meat, or even with exotic ingredients (such as insects!), there’s something for everyone in Cambodian cuisine. And even on wheels. Street food is available here from all kinds of vehicles. With a Cambodia visa, you can enjoy all the delicious—and sometimes adventurous—food throughout the country.

Cambodian cuisine—the Asian underdog

Everyone has heard of Japanese, Thai or Chinese cuisine. In almost every European city, you can choose from a variety of restaurants serving international cuisines. But Asian cuisine has many more culinary spectacles to offer that make the journey to this distant continent more than worthwhile. Cambodia is one of them. With its varied cuisine, Cambodia is actually the ideal destination for an authentic culinary trip to round off your visit to the sights. Pack your suitcase, apply for your Cambodia Visa and begin your journey with a hearty appetite!

Anyone for a deep-fried spider?

Although there are some similarities, Cambodian cuisine is less spicy than Thai cuisine. Moreover, Cambodia’s culinary tradition is still more rustic and rural, with lots of cooking using local and fresh produce, such as rice and fish. Even so, the country’s cuisine is bursting with culinary diversity.

Among the many stalls, you can choose from all kinds of dishes, often seasoned with a selection of coriander, cloves, cinnamon, anise, cardamom and, of course, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, chilli, onion and lime. You can also take on a culinary challenge: with deep-fried water snake, maggots with chilli and spring onions, and seasoned cockroaches, you can take your culinary adventure in all kinds of directions. And what about spicy tarantulas? At the food market in Skuon, piles of deep-fried tarantulas are on display, their legs having turned bright purple during frying. They look like jalebi, a sweet treat from India… Would you dare try one?

Traditional bites are the best

Of course, these rather exotic snacks make up only part of Cambodian cuisine. So you can certainly look forward to traditional dishes during your holiday in Cambodia. Classics such as dumpling noodle soup (mii kiəv) are usually prepared with pork or prawns. Most stews and curries are also cooked with ingredients you know from home. Such as kari mnas (pineapple curry). Traditional khmer krom is caramelised pork and eggs (khor săch chruk), served with a fish sauce, black Kampot pepper, bamboo and sometimes even quail eggs.

And you may not know this yet, but baguettes are a very popular dish in Cambodia. Take Num pang, for example, a beloved sandwich with stewed beef, chicken curry, raw and pickled vegetables, as well as pâté, butter and mayonnaise. A kind of Cambodian bahn mi.

Don’t forget dessert!

During your holiday in Cambodia, don’t forget the sweets, either. The country has plenty to offer in this food category as well. A delicious option, for example, is a portion of pudding made from red lotus seeds (tur tim krop), consisting of water chestnut cubes in red syrup. This dessert is known as ‘pomegranate seeds’ or ‘rubies’ because of its appearance. It is usually eaten with coconut milk and ice cubes. Another common dessert is mung bean porridge, made from tapioca, mung beans, sugar and coconut milk. These desserts may not win any beauty contests, but they are truly delicious and just a little different from sticky rice with mango.

Apply for your visa and let the enjoyment begin

You need a visa for a holiday in Cambodia. Fortunately, you don’t have to go to the embassy, because you can easily apply online for a Cambodia Visa. This travel permit is valid for 90 days and allows you to stay in the country for a maximum of 30 consecutive days. Do make sure that you meet all the requirements for the Cambodia Visa. For example, only certain entry points are permitted with this permit, such as the airports in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville (Preah Sihanouk), as well as the border crossings from Vietnam, Thailand and Loas Cham Yeam (Koh Jong), Poipet (Banteay Meanchey), Bavet (Svay Rieng) and Tropaeng Kreal (Stung Treng). Where you leave the country is less important; in principle, you can leave the country at any border crossing, for example if you want to continue travelling to a neighbouring country.

So apply for your visa in good time, so that your journey can get off to a smooth start.

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