FRIDAY 28 |The Cambodian Cuisine Festival invites you to explore national food treasures firsthand, be they amok and num songvak from Battambang, mi kola from Pailin or fried frogs from Takeo. “Behind this festival, there is big research involved,” explains Rano Reach Sy Fisher, from Pour Un Sourire d’Enfant. “We combed all of the provinces and sometimes we stayed in a village for a few weeks to get to know local people, particularly women, since in Cambodia the passing of recipes is transmitted from mother to daughter.” What started as a small event eight years ago has since become an institution, attracting more than 8,000 visitors. “People travel the world and discover new dishes. Here it’s the same, but on a small scale. For Cambodians, it’s a way to rediscover their own identity; for foreigners, a way to know more about the country.”
WHO: Anyone with an appetite
WHAT: Cambodian Cuisine Festival
WHERE: Olympic Stadium
WHEN: 5pm March 28 & 29
WHY: “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world” – JRR Tolkien