Some people argue that Cambodia's cuisine is nothing to write home about and a poorer cousin to Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. While we understand that view when judging the food offered on the streets of Cambodia, it is completely untrue.
The real, traditional Khmer food has a long history. In more recent times, the cuisine of Cambodia has been influenced by nearby countries as well as by the French. But go back 1,000 years when the Khmer Empire ruled over most of Southeast Asia.