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The Cambodian diet is as varied as the languages Cambodians have borrowed words from. Two main features, however, prevail in many recipes - sweet and vinegar-sour or spicy hot.

The Cambodian mango salad is either sweet and vinegar-sour or spicy hot. You can never duplicate its taste using mangoes from other countries - there can only be the special taste using its home-grown Cambodian green mango. This unique mango has light yellow-orange or greenish-white flesh. Do not be deceived by its color though as it can taste sweet when ripe while its skin remains light green.

The Cambodian mango is as sturdy as the Cambodian people. It could survive the rough handling that backpacks go through at airports when wrapped in paper and plastic and cushioned in-between clothing. When you arrive home, place it in the refrigerator until you wish to eat it.

The Cambodian mango salad reflects the ingenuous and thrifty nature of its creator. Thin slices are shredded lengthwise. Place the strips in white vinegar, sprinkle shredded fresh red chili over it and add half to one teaspoon of a special Cambodian fermented prawn paste to it when ready to serve.

The mango salad is also sandwiched between the sides of a halved baguette, together with slices of fried luncheon meat or local fish ham. Each baguette sandwich costs less than a dollar at a road stall.

Seafood delicacies such as shellfish and sliced fish are spread in the sun to dry. Baby clams and cockles are covered in hot chili and lime paste, sun dried and eaten as a snack. Conks are boiled and eaten with soya sauce. You will have to use a toothpick to skilfully dig out the boiled meat from the conk shell. Thai and Cambodian seafood restaurants are easily located in large towns as well as along rivers.

Lok Lak is not a meat dish cooked with a special sauce. As Cambodians favor vegetables and savory dishes, Lok Lak is simply a beef dish to reflect these preference s.

Sliced onions are placed on one or two whole leaves of lettuce. Some chefs however prefer to shred the lettuce instead. Sliced tomatoes are then layered onto the onions. Finally, a generous amount of stir-fried strips or slices of beef is heaped onto the salad bed. The beef is usually cooked in a marinade consisting of sugar, vinegar, salt, black pepper, fish sauce and tomato sauce.

Chicken Lok Lak and pork Lok Lak are available in restaurants where foreigners frequent and They especially cater to the preference of non-beef consumers.

Have you had ice cream served to you

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