Battambang Cottage Industries
An update and some fresh photos of an earlier post describing a tour of some of the traditional Battambang cottage industries included on our tuk-tuk tour of Ek Phnom District in Western Cambodia.
The morning tour kicks off with a look at a few of Battambang City’s sites, including some examples of French-period architecture, the old governor’s residence and, of course, the iconic statue of Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung (or Ta Dambang), who gave his name to the city. (It’s a slightly convoluted tale of a shepherd who became king thanks to a magic stick, but the guide will explain…)
The old governor’s residence, now Battambang Museum Heading out of town to nearby Ek Phnom District, our first stop is a traditional smith’s forge specialising mainly in farming implements such as scythes, machetes, hoes etc. Some of our guests may well have seen traditional smithies before, but, in this case, meeting the owner is a big plus, as remarkably, the old smith is happy to recount how his essential trade enabled him to survive the brutal Khmer Rouge years. (Frankly, not all survivors are so forthcoming.)
Traditional smith, Ek Phnom, Battambang Next up is a stroll around a local market, conveniently located just around the corner from the forge. The style of the bustling market has barely changed since Angkor times, with vendors simply spreading their arrays of fish, vegetables, fruit etc on mats on the ground. Some of the produce you’ll recognise, other more exotic herbs and fruit you won’t but friendly vendors will frequently let you taste and most are not averse to a few photos either.
Traditional style street market, Ek Phnom District, Battambang Back in the tuk-tuks for a short drive to Phsa Prahok, the notorious fermented fish market. You can smell it from a way off and this is one part of the tour where, in the past, we have had guests reluctant to leave the tuk-tuk. However, if you can hold your nose for 5 minutes, it is a fascinating spot and the pungent fish paste is an essential ingredient in Khmer cuisine. You’ll certainly have already consumed some before on your tour, without knowing, as small quantities flavour many common dishes. (It’s also no worse than being downwind of the Worcester sauce factory in the town of the same name, as the well-known condiment is also made from fermented fish (anchovies).) Indeed, once upon a time, fermented fish sauce – known as garum to the Romans – was a widely used condiment and most towns in the empire would have had their equivalents of Phsa Prahok.
Phsa Prahok or the fermented fish market Mid-morning’s a good time for a coffee break so next stop’s a small, local cafe for an iced coffee or fruit juice. Local is the key word so don’t expect any decaf frappuccinos but our visits clearly make the owner’s day and of course the idea is to spread the ‘tourist dollar’ around. (The beauty of small groups is precisely that you can just drop into a local cafe.)
Battambang’s recent UNESCO recognition as a city of gastronomy is entirely based on its traditional, cottage-industry-style street food rather than any Michelin-starred eateries so the next series of stops visits the families who make some of these local specialities. These include rice paper making for spring rolls, (the real spring rolls, not the battered fritters seen in many tourist-style restaurants) and, of course, the famous sticky rice in bamboo while Chamnan will demonstrate myriad ways of serving sun-dried bananas.
The enterprising – and entertaining – Chamnan, demonstrating all things sun-dried banana. (And thanks to Chamnan for the photo.) Many of the Battambang cottage industries included on the tour clearly involve a lot of hard, often monotonous and usually underpaid labour so these visits which are so popular with tourists, provide both welcome distractions and an additional source of income for the locals. It’s also a great opportunity to meet some of the residents and provides a fascinating contrast to the museums of Phnom Penh and, of course, the famous temples of Siem Reap. A win-win we’d say – plus you won’t need any lunch afterwards!
Our half-day Battambang cottage industries tour features on all our visits to the town: Cambodia Overland, The Laos and Cambodia tour Indochina Adventure and the Vietnam and Cambodia tour as well as our Cambodia and Thailand family tour, Ruined Cities, Tropical Islands.
