Demand for African Food Booms in Cambodia
With African food being increasingly trendy in Cambodia, the food trade between both geographic areas is on the rise
By Ken Gadaffi November 3, 2022 9:27 AM
PHNOM PENH – Near or far, one thing that distinguishes a group of people from another is food: in itself, it represents one’s culture, beliefs and society. And African cuisine is no exception.

Africans from the Igbo Union in Cambodia, an association gathering people from the African Igbo ethnic group from Nigeria, celebrated the New Yam Festival on Oct. 1.

The “iri-ji festival” (literally “new-yam eating”) is traditionally celebrated at the end of the rainy season in early August, throughout West Africa (especially in Nigeria and Ghana) and other African countries.

The first edition of Cambodia’s New Yam Festival last month honored the flavors of West Africa. It drew together well over 200 attendees mostly Nigerians with their Khmer spouses and children, thanks to the growing population of the Nigerian community, which totals several hundred people.

The celebration is a culturally based occasion, tying Igbo communities together as they are essentially agrarian and dependent on yam: a common name for a local edible tuber that looks alike cassava. In West Africa, people call it “the king of crops.”

Before the event, the Cambodian branch of the Nigerian in the Diaspora Organization (NIDO) and other associations of Nigerians conducted a survey to get a sense of the extent of participation of the African diaspora in the agribusiness and the African food sector in Cambodia.

The goal of the survey is to help policymakers and development advocates map the trends and potentials in the African diaspora food market and ensure that they benefit Africans.

The results of the survey revealed that there is huge potential for African food in Cambodia, benefiting both the locals and the African diaspora based in the country.

The survey showed that most Africans in Cambodia prefer African food. Though they have lived in Cambodia for many years, their taste buds have not completely adapted to Cambodian food.

But while most diasporans complained that African food in Cambodia does not taste as good as in Africa – and understandably so because the food in Africa is still fresh from the source or garden – most of them are still ready to spend a very significant part of their food budget on African foods. Yes! They have left Africa for Cambodia, but Africa remains with them in Cambodia.

“I eat Cambodian food but I cannot do without ‘fufu’ [an African dish made of rice or cassava flour] so I usually cook it myself from time to time,” said Christy who has lived in Cambodia for over 15 years. “Most of the ingredients for making African food are here in Cambodia. We usually can find them in traditional markets like Orrusey, Phsar Deoum Kor or even at the supermarket, but for the African spices and condiments, several African shops sell them.”
Full article: https://cambodianess.com/article/demand ... n-cambodia

Like 20 people went to the event and probably most of that number is press

And the rest got high.

Import some from Indonesia seems to be a shortcut
https://www.vice.com/en/article/3d9p5y/ ... in-nigeria