Recovered memory: Chef Nak, ‘...50 years of Cambodian resilience through local cuisine...’

Half a century after one of the darkest chapters in modern history, Cambodia is speaking out again, not only in the headlines, but more powerfully through the silent and enduring language of traditional cuisine.

Chef Nak

On 17 April 1975, the fall of Phnom Penh marked the advent of the Khmer Rouge regime, a brutal era that claimed the lives of nearly 2 million people and almost erased Cambodia's cultural and culinary identity. Recipes disappeared. Ingredients became scarce. Generations of ancestral knowledge were silenced or lost. And yet, even in the shadows, something sacred endured: the will to survive and to remember.

Today, Cambodia is reclaiming this heritage, one dish at a time. At the heart of this revival is Chef Nak, Cambodia's leading culinary ambassador and a passionate advocate for Khmer cuisine. Through her acclaimed cookbooks, home cooking experiences, cooking classes, social media and cultural culinary centre, Chef Nak is helping to breathe new life into a tradition that almost disappeared.

‘Every dish we cook today is an act of remembrance and pride,’ she says.

‘A bowl of num banh chok is not just fresh rice noodles, spices and herbs. It is a legacy from our ancestors. It is a story of survival. It is what kept families alive when everything else had disappeared.’

The resilience of Cambodian cuisine is inseparable from that of its people. Although neglected by international platforms such as the Michelin Guide, World's 50 Best and many others, Khmer cuisine is distinguished by its discreet richness, its profound complexity and its roots anchored in healing.

‘Our beautiful country will one day be recognised around the world,‘ says Chef Nak.

’But for now, we don't cook for awards. We cook to remember who we are and to share this deeply rooted cultural heritage with those who are willing to listen, learn and taste."

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh, a moment not only of commemoration, but also of awakening. An opportunity for the world to see Cambodia not only as a post-conflict nation, but also as a dynamic cultural cradle, where cuisine has survived atrocities and continues to nourish, inspire and offer hope for the future. It is an invitation not only to taste Cambodian cuisine, but also to understand our soul.

About Chef Nak

Chef Nak is an award-winning Cambodian chef, author, entrepreneur and cultural advocate, dedicated to the revival and reinvention of traditional Cambodian cuisine for a new generation. Her acclaimed cookbook, SAOY: Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine, was named Best Cookbook in the World by the Gourmand Awards.

Through collaborations with organisations such as UNICEF, GIZ, FAO and the World Bank, Chef Nak champions the power of cooking to promote healthy eating, preserve cultural identity and spark global culinary dialogue.