Tuesday, April 13, 2010

A Cambodian cookbook wins a world award

Mrs. Long Sorey and her daughter Kanika Linden.

By Khmerization
Source: RFI

Khmer cuisine has been recently recognised internationally on the world stage, thanks to a mother-daughter team effort who co-authored a cookbook that has recently won an international cookbook award, reports Radio France Internationale.

The book "Au pays de la pomme cythère" (In the land of Ambarella), which was co-authored by Mrs. Long Sorey and her daughter, Ms. Kanika Linden, has won the 2009 “Gourmand World Cookbook Awards”​ from an international cooking institution called "Gourmand Awards".

In an interview with RFI, Mrs. Long Sorey said she jumped in joy when news came in the middle of the night that her book won the award. "Khmer win! Khmer is number one!", she exclaimed upon hearing of the news.

Mrs. Long Sorey's "Au pays de la pomme cythère" was selected as the winning entry among 6000 cookbooks from 136 countries. She said her book won because of its clear explanation and instructions plus the beautiful pictures of the food and raw material that feature in it. She added that the book features the real beauty of the Cambodian countryside scenery where the photos of the fish were taken at the locations from the rivers in Siem Reap and the photos of the palm trees were taken in rice fields in Kampong Speu.

Mrs. Long Sorey said the book took 10 years to compile. She said she compile the menu and recipes, while her daughter was a photographer and took charge of selecting photos and the graphic design was done by Jérome Jaymond (Cambodia).

Mrs. Long said Khmer food are aromatic and are healthy because they are rich in medicinal herbs. She said Khmer cuisines use a lot of turmeric which has been proven by research to be rich in chemical compound that help to reduce the risk of cancer.

She regrets that many Khmers are feeling embarrassed about Khmer food such as prahok. She said prahok is not as smelly as it was made out to be, it is up to how people cook it or how much they put it in the cooking. She also regrets that Cambodians prefer to cook Western food for Westerners who visit Cambodia because they thought Westerners don't like Cambodian food. She said this is a misconception because many Westerners who visit Cambodia want to explore real Cambodian culture and authentic Khmer cuisines.

She added the reason she wrote the cookbook was because she want to preserve authentic Khmer cuisines and also want to teach young Khmer generation to cook real Khmer food. She said she live in France and her daughter live in England. She described how sorry she felt for her daughter who has to pick up the phone to call her on how to cook Khmer food whenever she want to eat Khmer food.

At this stage, the book is in French. It is in the process of being translated into English.

To those interested in the cookbook:

Book details

Title: Au Pays de la Pomme Cythère (In the land of Ambarella)

Authors: Sorey Long, Kanika Linden

Photos: Kanika Linden, Jérome Jaymond

Publisher: White Tara Ltd

Published: April 2009 & January 2010

No. pages: 218

Format: 30 cm (L) x 19,5 cm (H), hardcover

Contents: 139 recipes, 158 photos

Price: 35 € + post&package

ISBN: 978 0956 208 705

Contact: Kanika Linden: +44 (0) 7961 129 705; whitetaraltd@gmail.com

To order: Tel: 06.12.97.95.81; whitetaraltd@gmail.com

Information on the Gourmand Awards

Edouard Cointreau, President

Gourmand Awards

www.cookbookfair.com

icr@virtualsw.es

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats Ladies!!!!!!!!!
Proud to be Khmer!!!!

Now they can eat our Prahok international.

Anonymous said...

Great news. Can anyone tell what the title of the book is and where I can get (buy) a copy? Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Like other food, some Khmers like PRAHOK and other don't.
Amoung those who love it, some of them, their bodies are not strong enough to eliminate PRAHOK.
I know personaly some persons, they are around 60 years old, they like PRAHOK, they eat 3 to 5 times a week, everytime they eat PRAHOK, they KOSS KYOL.

Anonymous said...

This idiot above is the kind of Khmer that is ashame of themself and their own culture. They think their shit don't stink because they don't eat Prohok.

Anonymous said...

Congratulation ladies. Please tell me how can i buy your book?I would like to have one copy.
Tell adresse or phone number ,please!
I'm khmer young genertion and i would like to learn how to cook.

Anonymous said...

Ladies,

What is a tittle of your book? I would like to buy a copy. Please drop me a line at my email address below on how to purchase one:

familykum65@yahoo.com

Thanks,

Anonymous said...

I love Prahok Siem Riep and I am White.

Anonymous said...

Congrads Ladies!

Anonymous said...

What wrong with Prahok.Prahok is better than Cheese. All Khmer and of course Chinese Khmer born love Prahok.

Anonymous said...

To those interested in the cookbook:

Book details

Title: Au Pays de la Pomme Cythère

Authors: Sorey Long, Kanika Linden

Photos: Kanika Linden, Jérome Jaymond

Publisher: White Tara Ltd

Published: April 2009 & January 2010

No. pages: 218

Format: 30 cm (L) x 19,5 cm (H), hardcover

Contents: 139 recipes, 158 photos

Price: 35 € + post&package

ISBN: 978 0956 208 705

Contact: Kanika Linden: +44 (0) 7961 129 705; whitetaraltd@gmail.com

To order: Tel: 06.12.97.95.81; whitetaraltd@gmail.com

Information on the Gourmand Awards

Edouard Cointreau, President

Gourmand Awards

www.cookbookfair.com

icr@virtualsw.es

Anonymous said...

Hey Greece's cheeses are the worst. From holding that cheese even you wash your hands the smell still stay on your hands. So gross!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Does the book in French or English?

I am sure that many Khmer in U.S. would love to have a copy, but most Khmer in US do not learn French (younger generation)...

thanks in advance...

Anonymous said...

If she has her book sell in the US, she'll make a lot of money. I'm sure I'll take a look into that. Please have English version.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Kanika Linden: +44 (0) 7961 129 705
kanika is in london now I just talk to her she said she is working on the english version and she will comming to the states by next year please call her and support here this is not for her or her mom she is for all cambodian people.

thank you kanika

Anonymous said...

call from usa dial 011-44-7961 129 705

Anonymous said...

That's true what she said, Khmer should cook more Khmer food for the foreigner. Here where I live there are a lot of restaurant owned by Khmer but never cook Khmer food but to cook Japanese, Chinese, Thai and the worse thing is cooking Mexican!!!???

Anonymous said...

KANIKA LINDEN,we are all KHMERS in MONTREAL,QUEBEC,CANADA,to be proud of you and your momm.What you have done not only for you or your family and for KHMERS in CAMBODIA,but for all KHMER peoples around the globe.Congratulation for KHMER women,GODBUDHHA bless all CAMBODIAN peoples for this new year,good luck,good healthy,victory and prosperity.KOUN KHMER LOVE KHMERS.

Anonymous said...

I am so happy so that so many help support our Khmer tallance...this show that all of us Khmer are as intelligence as anybody on this earth. But the author had show, it took them ten years to finish this. Thus, the incredience for success is ideas, vision, commitment, and never give up....

In addition, Happy Khmer NEW Year to all Khmer everywhere...

Kanika LINDEN said...

Hello everyone,

My name is Kanika Linden and I co-wrote with my mother the cookbook "Au pays de la Pomme Cythère".
The book was originally written to keep a trace of my mother's recipes and was not intended to be a commercial venture. Our purpose is really to promote our beautiful Khmer culinary traditions. We have self-published the book, meaning that we have done everything ourselves from the writing to taking the pictures to publishing it.
It has been a long, sometimes challenging process. We have worked tiredlessly in our own free time to produce this book. Your comments show that it was worth it! Thanks for your support. The Gourmand Award has taken us by surpise and has definitively placed Cambodia on the map. For 2009, there were 6,000 participants competing in the Gourmand Awards, from 136 countries. The book is currently in FRENCH. I am working on the English version, which should be ready in the first half of 2011. We are planning to go and meet the Cambodian community in the US during the summer 2011. If you would like to have the book in FRENCH, please contact whitetaraltd@gmail.com. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

hi all,

You said the cookbook "Au pays de la Pomme Cythère" for Khmer people and culture why this book has not written or translated in Khmer Verson?
As interested in Khmer food and cooking,I can spare my free time to help translate from English to Khmer.
My email chiva_basil@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

4:12PM
Ohh! I am interesting to get it in Khmer version too. I'll like to keep it at my kitchen cabinet to check what kind of food i'll going to eat tomorrow. Ohh! I love it. Some Khmer food smell gets me missed my homeland and try to find some restaurant who can cook such food dish for me. Please get it in Khmer version too.
I am proud of you Ladies!
Cheers,

Unknown said...

Hello everyone,
I have just read your comments and my eyes are filled with tears. Thank you so much for your support. As I mentioned, this was not intented to be a commercial venture. The book was originally intended for me, with simple words and lots of pictures. As I wrote the book with my mother, I realised that many Cambodians from the younger generations had forgotten about our culinary traditions or don't know how to cook and love eating, just like me. Thus the idea to self-publish it.

This project is done in my free time, night time mainly when the children are asleep! As such, please be patient with the English and Khmer versions and the website (www.nomkom.com). Also, many thanks for your offer to help. I will look into it.

The UK october issue of the Reader's Digest feature an article by Elaine Moore on Cambodian food and history, "The taste of Cambodia". For those interested, please send an email to whitetaraltd@gmail.com and I will forward the article to you.
Kanika Linden

Anonymous said...

Is the English version out yet? I would like to order it.