{"id":5453,"date":"2021-04-03T19:44:56","date_gmt":"2021-04-03T18:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/?p=5453"},"modified":"2021-04-03T19:45:04","modified_gmt":"2021-04-03T18:45:04","slug":"exploring-the-street-food-of-phnom-penh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/exploring-the-street-food-of-phnom-penh\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the street food of Phnom Penh"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Did you know that the consumption of insects for food has a name, entomophagy? I didn\u2019t, until I visited Cambodia. There, perhaps more than anywhere else, the people actively serve and eat insects. There is a dark reason behind this. Under the Khmer Rouge, much of the population was forced into poverty; and people resorted to feeding on anything they could find.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today Cambodians continue to eat and enjoy insects. They are found on street food stalls, in markets and even on restaurant menus all around the country. To a Westerner these seem strange, even off-putting, delicacies. But, to adapt a well-known saying, when in Phnom Penh \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus on our first evening in the city we found ourselves embarking on a street food tour with our friendly guide Van. After enjoying a drink by the Mekong as the sun set, we were ready to get a bit more adventurous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some entomophagy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We took a tuk-tuk to an area where many stalls were clustered, all selling a variety of these Cambodian delicacies. Van picked out one where, she assured us, it would be safe for us to sample some. She steered us away from the giant water bugs and cockroaches (she needn’t have bothered!) But she encouraged us to try some small, deep-fried crickets (surprisingly tasty, or at least not bad!); tiny fish; small frogs to be crunched on bones and all; and silkworm cocoons. The latter were softer and less unpleasant than ones we’d sampled last year in North Korea, but not by much. I left the stall feeling glad I’d tried (almost) everything but in no hurry to repeat the experience!<\/p>\n\n\n