SNACK ATTACK.

Out in Battambang, lies the secret to the wonderful taste of Nem. A local snack food of raw fish wrapped in banana leaves, it is forever associated with Cambodia's second city. Khmer's never miss the opportunity to buy it when they pass through and woe betide any friend or relative who fails to bring some back.


Next to a dusty road, about 12km from Battambang town, there are banana leaves and Slek Kantout(sour fruit tree) leaves piled up in front of a wooden house. Many people are sitting under the house, with busy hands moving at a rapid rate. Some are cleaning banana leaves, some Kantout leaves. Others cut fish into small pieces, placing them into small plastic bags. This is the house of traditional Nem maker, Mrs.Kim Song. I met Mrs. Song last night in Phnom Penh and she told me this fascinating story.


Sitting with a pile of fresh fish in a cooking pot, Mrs. Kim Song is proud that she is so successful that she uses up to 200kg of meat per day. Her business is busy from 5a.m. all the way through to 8p.m. Everyday, she distributes to many places in Battambang. " My business starts early in the morning because my clients need to sell it", she says, " and some are sent to other provinces. "


Raw fish is the main ingredient. The kind of fish used depends on availability and ones tastes. Mrs. Song explains how to make Nem: the fish is washed thoroughly. The bones and scales are removed, and the fish is washed a further three times. It is then left to dry. After it has dried, it is cut into small pieces and mixed together with salt, sugar, knor soup( a Cambodian special soup not the packet mix!), chilli, and rom deng ( a ginger spice. ) The small square segments are wrapped in banana leaves, placed in plastic bags and bonded tightly with wire. Three days later the Nem is ready to eat.


There are three kinds of Nem; Nem Slek ( fish meat covered with a Kantout leaf ), Nem Kampok ( fish meat covered by plastic ) and Nem Thom Veng ( long fish meat put inside plastic without banana leaf ). The latter is the most expensive.


Mrs. Song hires local villagers of Kvit village, Preak Kpoub commune and the Ek Phnom district of Battambang to help her. Using a blue tent to shield her from the hot midday sun, she says that over 10,000 packages of Nem leave her house everyday. Mrs. Song's Nem is famous across Battambang province, all the way to Kampong Cham and Kampong Chnang. " The reason that my Nem sells well at the market is because I make it delicious by using high quality ingredients. It uses fresh fish but it doesn't smell because I wash the fish three times until it is empty of blood", she explains. The spicy and sour tast of Nem needs 5kg of chillies with every 200kg of fish meat. The Nem must be kept for three days to acquire the special sour taste.


Her house is popular place in the morning. People arrive early to work at separating the mixture into small pieces, ready to become Nem. Ms.Reung Vita, 17, says she always comes to the house when she has free time from school. Vita is fast at wrapping the fish into the banana leaves. Her fingers nimbly working at an incredible pace. She can wrap many packages of Nem in one day and can earn between 5000-10,000 riel ( 82p-£1.64 ). " I give some of the money to my parents and keep some for study ", she says. Her practiced hands work swiftly. Smiling a she speaks, Ms. Vita adds; " If I do 100 packages I get 500 riel (8p!), so if I need more money I have to work faster and faster. "


Nem is very popular amongst Cambodians. It doesn't sell so well between May and July because it is the planting season. It sells best from September to December. Mrs. Song says she sells 100 packages of Nem for 7000 riel and they sell it on to the buyer for 10,000 reil. Her business is a success; she is very happy with her standard of living and she can earn up to 50,000 riel per day ( just over £8 )


Mrs. Song learnt the ropes by observing her friend, one step at a time. She visited her house and watched as they made packets of Nem. Intrigued, she asked the method and experimented when she got home, trying again and again until she could do it. " There is no class or school, it is knowledge we get from our older man ( generation ), " she added. " I do this business because it is a famous snack for cambodian people," she proudly states. " In the future ( I hope ) we will export to the international market. "


This crafty Cambodian snack provides Ms. Vita with money to support her family and her studies. It boosts the local economy for many living there. She hopes that the Battambang Nem gets developed and promoted and the whole world can enjoy this Khmer speciality; so do I.