Khmer royal cuisine

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Khmer royal cuisine or Cambodian royal cuisine (

Khmer cuisine, the other two being elite and rural cuisine.[1] Khmer royal cuisine has evolved over the centuries with influences from India, China, Thailand, Vietnam and France.[2]

The distinctions between the three culinary styles are not as pronounced as in the case of

chaowang.[5]

History

A Khmer woman cooking in a traditional court dress

At the peak of

lemongrass and galangal to the recipe, which then made its way into the royal kitchens of Ayuttaya, where turmeric was replaced with cardamom and tamarind.[9] Khmer royal dishes were further developed in the Ayutthaya Kingdom, where during the reign of King Narai they were supplemented with Portuguese recipes and brought back into the Khmer palace kitchens.[7]

In the 1800s, Khmer palaces had separate kitchens for preparing

jasmine flowers picked at sunset, steeped in water overnight, and used to flavor sugar and finished desserts. Miniature fruits and vegetables made out of soybean paste, palm sugar and coconut, and dipped in gelatin were also made in the Khmer palace kitchens and served at royal weddings.[10]

Following

King of Cambodia Ang Duong expected mostly vegetarian and simple meals to be served in his court in Oudong and even forbade the consumption of alcohol by his ministers.[5]

In the

waiters.[11]

It has been said that the work done by the cooks of the royal palace and of the aristocracy of Phnom Penh during the first half of the 20th century reflected the same capacity for taking pains and using highly developed techniques which had been displayed by the builders of Angkor Wat, Cambodia's most famous monument, in the distant past. By all accounts, such cooks produced dishes of visual appeal equal to or surpassing those of any other cuisine.

— Alan Davidson, "The Oxford Companion to Food" (2014)[12]

Modern Cambodian royal cuisine has been shaped by

Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia continued preparing Khmer dishes for the king, his entourage and guests. Princess Rasmi Sobhana, on the other hand, was known for her sophisticated presentation of simple dishes that often broke away from the traditionally strict format of royal cuisine, experimenting with carving fruit and vegetables and arrangements on different shape, size and color plates, in what she saw as more modern. She was also known for including luxurious ingredients, such as cognac or a glass of champagne, in ancient royal recipes and popular rural dishes.[2]

Characteristics

The culinary traditions of

star anise. Royal recipes tend to use shrimp paste instead of the prahok.[13][page needed] Kroeung for royal dishes may contain additional ingredients, such as kaffir lime leaves and coriander root.[14]

Popular dishes

Raffles Hotel Le Royal
Nataing with rice crackers
Saraman curry, a dish popular among the Khmer royalty[15]

Certain dishes hold a special significance in Khmer royal cuisine as they originated in the palace kitchens. These iconic dishes, once exclusively made for the royal family, have now become part of the popular cuisine. As a result, they have become an integral part of Khmer special occasion banquets, extending beyond the boundaries of the royal palace.[16]

Bai domram (បាយតម្រំា)

Bai domram is a rice dish served with multiple side dishes meant to be eaten with it. It is prepared by allowing the cooked rice to cool overnight and absorb the morning dew. This process infuses the rice with a subtle essence. To enhance the aroma, jasmine flowers are added to the dish in the morning.[17] During the dry season, bai domram is appreciated for its cooling effect.[2]

Amok trei
(ហហ្មក ត្រី)

Amok trei is a royal speciality believed to be dating back to the

ho mok is considered a descendant of Khmer amok trei.[18]

Nataing (ណាតាំង)

Nataing is a dip made with minced pork, coconut cream, and

lobster as the main ingredient.[19]

Muk mee (ម៉ុកមី)

Muk mee is a

Khmer-style salad made of fried rice vermicelli, from which a wide array of toppings is added.[citation needed
]

Saraman curry (សរហ្ម័ន)

Saraman curry is considered the most complex curry in Cambodian cuisine. Its recipe features a complex blend of spices, including cloves, coriander seeds and roots, cinnamon, cardamom, lemongrass, dried chilies, galangal, kaffir lime, shallots, and garlic. The dish is believed to have originated in the Muslim communities of Cambodia.[20]

Restaurants

Two restaurants in Cambodia have been granted royal Khmer recipes by a decree from the Royal Palace of Cambodia – Restaurant Le Royal of Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh[21][22][23] and restaurant "1932" (previously Restaurant Le Grand) of Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap.[24][25]

References

  1. ^ McCafferty, Georgia; Tham, Dan (5 May 2017). "Food for the soul: Resurrecting Cambodia's forgotten cuisine". CNN. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-9-748-77885-3
    .
  3. ^ "L'Art de la cuisine cambodgienne | The Culinary Art of Cambodia". The Angkor Database. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  4. ISBN 978-9924966319
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-9-924-95400-2
    . But which cuisine does the Princess' collection of Cambodian recipes reflect? Some authors have suggested this culinary repertoire was at the core of the meals for kings, queens, princes and princesses of Cambodia, hence presenting some sort of Khmer Royal Cuisine. While some special treats nowadays frowned upon such as tortoise meat were in true served at the Cambodian Royal court in the days of yore, there never has existed here a corpus of 'Royal Cuisine' with its specific codes, ingredients and decorum in the way Japan had developed the yusoku ryori (imperial court cuisine) from the 9th century, or the Thai monarchs expected to be served Chaowang dishes, the Royal cuisine developed since the 14th century at the court of Ayutthaya kings, with recipes kept secret and commoners strictly forbidden from cooking or enjoying it.
  6. ISBN 978-0-313-34419-0
    . A series of devaraja god-kings from the ninth to the fifteenth century ruled a far-flung Khmer empire that fell into gradual decline and was defeated by the Siamese kingdom of Ayuttaya in 1353 and again in 1430. Between these periods, Siamese and Cambodian rulers exchanged "people, ideas, texts, and institutions." At the height of its power, Khmer palaces produced a refined cuisine, but by the fifteenth century, Khmer power eroded. Recipes associated with the Khmer palaces were modified in Ayuttaya and eventually re-exported into Cambodia.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-0-313-34419-0
    . When Siamese defeated the Khmer, they brought back Khmer cooks. Thus, Thai palace cuisine was probably influenced by the imperial cuisine at Angkor Wat. From there, dishes were further developed in the Ayuttaya courts, with the addition of Portuguese recipes during the reign of King Narai and returned into the royal Khmer kitchens.
  8. ISBN 978-0-313-37627-6
    . The royal tradition of palace food centered in the temple complex of Angkor Wat had a profound influence on Thai palace food.
  9. ISBN 978-0-313-34419-0
    . Another version traveled from India, by way of Java, into the Khmer courts, and from there into the royal kitchens of Ayuttaya, Thailand, adding cardamom and tamarind to replace the turmeric. Cambodia and Thailand add lemongrass and galangal to the mixture;
  10. ISBN 978-0-313-34419-0
    . In the 1800s, Thai and Khmer palaces had separate kitchens for making desserts and snack foods. Women—wives, concubines, and members of the inner court—produced these luxurious, labor-intensive items. Palace desserts were feasts for the eyes as well as taste buds and included delicate carved fruits and vegetables, sugared flowers, perfumed water, and jasmine flowers picked at sunset, steeped in water overnight, and used to flavor sugar and finished desserts. Miniature fruits and vegetables known as look choob, made of soybean paste, palm sugar, and coconut, and dipped in gelatin, were once only found in the palace or served at "royal style" weddings. Over the last decade, these palace sweets have become available in supermarkets and served at receptions.
  11. ISBN 978-1-443-86699-6
    . in 1932, the minimum staff in the high season for the Khmer Palace and the Royal was twenty four-people (a manager or maître d'hôtel or head chef of European origin, two cooks, a pastry chef-baker, six room house bots, six waiters, three coolies, a seamstress, a launderer, two gardeners, and a night watchman). (...) In the Palaces, including the Khmer Palace, the specifications stated that the cuisine should be prepared exclusively with butter and not fat, fruits should be varied and abundant, and the coffee and tea should always be of highest quality,
  12. ISBN 978-0-191-04072-6
    .
  13. ISBN 978-9924966319
    . One distinction is the richness of the ingredients. For example, many royal recipes call for giant prawns and crab meat which can be too costly for daily cooking. Other opulent ingredients include spices such as cardamom, cloves, coriander, fennel seeds, and star anise. Very few dishes use prohok, the classic Cambodian fish paste so beloved by Cambodian people. Instead, the royal recipes often call for shrimp paste.
  14. ISBN 978-9-748-77885-3
    .
  15. ^ "Panhcuisine". 20 December 2015. A royal dish in Cambodia, the Kari Saraman is a difficult but oh! rewarding dish to prepare.
  16. ^ "L'Art de la cuisine cambodgienne | The Culinary Art of Cambodia". The Angkor Database. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  17. ASIN B07DSFMNZ4
    . It is said that Royalty like a cold rice dish that is prepared the night before and put outside so that dew infuses into the rice and in the morning, jasmine flower are added to make the dish fragrant.
  18. ^ Dunston, Lara (23 May 2017). "Cambodian Fish Amok Recipe – an Authentic Steamed Fish Curry in the Old Style". Grantourismo Travels. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  19. ^ Carter, Terrence. "Khao Tang Na Tang Rice Cakes – Chilli Prawn & Pork Dip Recipe". Grantourismo Travels.
  20. ^ Carter, Terence (13 November 2014). "A Recipe for Saraman Curry or Cari Saramann – a Cambodian curry". Grantourismo Travels. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Restaurant Le Royal, Home to Fabled Khmer Cuisine, Reopens at Raffles Hotel Le Royal". Luxury Travel Magazine. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  22. ^ "First Look: Restaurant Le Royal reopens at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh". Suppermag. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Restaurant Le Royal, Home to Fabled Khmer Cuisine, Reopens at Raffles Hotel Le Royal". Drift. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  24. ^ Othman, Anith Adilah (29 November 2019). "'1932' resurrected at Raffles d'Angkor". Khmer Times. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  25. ^ "Royal Khmer Cuisine At Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor". World Travel Magazine. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2023.

External links

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