Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SUGAR PALMS
Crowned with distinctive mops of spiky leaves,
sugar palms
are of great importance to the
rural Cambodian economy, with every part of the tree being put to good use. The sweet
juice
extracted from the palm's flower-bearing stalk is either drunk fresh or fermented to produce
palm beer
, traditionally sold by hawkers, although nowadays also available in tourist centres
and local supermarkets.
Palm sugar
, much used in Khmer cooking, is made by thickening the
juice in a cauldron and then pouring it into cylindrical tubes to set, after which it resembles
grainy honey-coloured fudge. Palm
fruits
, slightly larger than a cricket ball, have a tough,
fibrous black coating containing juicy, delicately flavoured kernels, which are translucent white
and have the consistency of jelly; they're eaten either fresh or with syrup as a dessert.
Further sugar-palm products include the
leaves
, traditionally used as a form of paper and
still used in thatch and to make wall panels, woven matting, baskets, fans and even packaging.
The
root
of the tree is used in traditional medicine as a cure for stomachache and other
ailments. Perhaps because the trees furnish so many other products, they are seldom cut for
their
wood
, which is extremely durable. However, palm-wood souvenirs can be found in
Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, easily identifiable by their distinctive light-and-dark striped grain,
and palm-wood furniture has become fashionable in some of the country's boutique hotels.
Soft drinks
For a drink on the hoof, iced
sugar-cane juice
(
tuk
umpow
) is very refreshing and not actually that
sweet. It's sold everywhere from yellow carts
equipped with a mangle through which the peeled
canes are passed, sometimes with a piece of orange
added for extra taste. Equally refreshing is the juice
of a
green coconut
(
tuk dhowng
): the top is hacked
off and you drink the juice before getting it cut in
half so you can eat the soft, jelly-like flesh.
Fruit shakes
(
tuk krolok
) are an important part of
an evening's consumption: juice stalls, recognizable
by their fruit displays and blenders, set up in towns
all over the country from the late afternoon. You
can order a mixture of fruits to be juiced or just one
or two; coconut milk, sugar syrup, condensed milk
and shaved ice are also added, as is a raw egg
(unless you specify otherwise -
ot yoh pong
mowan
).
When not added to coffee or tea,
milk
(
tuk duh
) is
sometimes drunk iced, perhaps with a bright red or
green cordial added. Freshly made
soya milk
(
tuk
sun dike
) is sold in the morning by street vendors;
the green version is sweetened and thicker than
the unsweetened white. Soya milk is also available
canned, as is
winter-melon tea
, a juice made from
the field melon that has a distinctive sweet, almost
earthy taste.
leaves into a small glass, placing a saucer on top,
and turning the whole thing upside down to brew.
When it's dark enough, the tea is decanted into
another cup and plenty of sugar added, but no
milk.
Lemon tea
(
dtai gdouw kroit chhmar
), made
with Chinese red-dust tea and lemon juice, is
refreshing both hot and iced, and is generally
served with a hefty dose of sugar.
Black tea
, sold
locally under the Lipton brand, is served in hotels,
guesthouses and restaurants that cater to
foreigners.
Noodle shops, coffee shops and restaurants serve
coffee
from early morning to late afternoon, but in
the evenings it can be di
cult to find except at
restaurants geared up for foreigners. The beans are
generally imported from Laos and Vietnam -
although domestically produced coffee from
Rattanakiri and Mondulkiri can be found in some
places. Beans are traditionally roasted with butter
and sugar, plus various other ingredients that might
include anything from rum to pork fat, giving the
beverage a strange, sometimes faintly chocolatey
aroma - something of an acquired taste. Black
coffee (
kafei kmaow
)
will often be served with sugar
unless you specify otherwise and is often served
(and generally tastes better)
iced
(
kafei kmaow tuk
kork
). Cambodians often have their coffee or tea
iced, even for breakfast; if you want yours hot, ask
for it to be served without ice (
ot dak tuk kork
)
.
Note that if you order white coffee (
kafei tuk duh
gow
), it sometimes comes with a slug of condensed
milk already in the glass, so don't stir it all in if you
don't like your drink too sweet. Most of the milk (
tuk
duh
) available is either sterilized, canned or
sweetened condensed.
Alcohol
Besides nightclubs and bars, most restaurants
and night-market stalls serve
beer
(
sraa bier
).
Cambodia's national beer is Angkor, brewed
by an Australian/Cambodian joint venture in
Sihanoukville; it's available in cans, large bottles
