While I’ve been saying for what seems like years that Sihanoukville is the new Luanda, in one of its final posts of the year, Epicurious has announced that for 2008, Cambodian food will supplant Thai food.
A triangulation between Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai cooking, Cambodian’s emphasis on noodle dishes, curries, stir fries and prahok, the strong-flavored fish paste, will grow in popularity. Cambodian food has stronger flavors than Vietnamese, slightly more subtle that Thai and is not as heavy as Chinese.
Also, cheers to everyone who donated to Menu For Hope. Over US$90,000 was raised. Prize draw to come.
Comments
6 responses to “Choul Chnam Thmei: Cambodian is the New Thai”
Cheers for your link to Epicurious and your comment on the site. DPA picked it up and gave credit:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/167524.html
Chefs like Luu Meng have been saying the same thing for quite a while. It will be an interesting trend to watch in 2008.
Regards
[…] 3, 2008 Phil VIA DPA: Tanya Steel at Epicurious offers ten food predictions for 2008. 4) Cambodian is the New […]
Hey Phil –
You’re prominent! Ccourtesy of the earthtimes link given by Bronwymn above:
“A prominent food expert, Australian Phil Lees, posted the link on his website Wednesday, cheekily throwing down a challenge to the huge international popularity of Thai food.”
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/167524.html
– m
I love prominent foods, but I’m not sure that I’m an expert in them. I enjoyed that the article also mentions the attempt to burn the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh to the ground. I’m expecting a similar sort of uproar from the Thai side when the news gets around that prahok khtis is the new tom yam.
[…] turns out that with only three months left in 2008, Cambodian is not the new Thai. But what has changed over the year is the tone of reviewing. Reviewers are starting to understand […]
[…] will head in 2012. For a writer, they’re brilliant content. No editor is going to sack you if Cambodian does not become the new Thai or the world’s predicted hottest restaurant closes. Your audience does not hold you […]