Boraan

Cambodia has a lot to offer! The Southeast Asian country with a population of approx. 17 million people is rich in cultural history. Not only the famous temple complexes in Siem Reap are witnesses of a past advanced civilisation, the kingdom of Kambuja, which had its greatest extent around the year 1200 and stretched over large parts of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar all to Malaysia. It was a powerful and wealthy kingdom, not at least due to its progressive methods of irrigation. Many of the ancient handicrafts and traditions were thriving at that time. Pepper cultivation also has been practiced for centuries in Cambodia. Beginning in the 1870s – Cambodia was a French protectorate and later integrated into French Indochina – pepper cultivation was intensified with pepper grown in the region of Kampot quickly gaining a reputation as one of the finest peppers in the world. Yearly export quotas could hit up to 8.000 tons at peak times. Cambodias recent past however is marked by violence, war and great misery. Decades of war and conflicts would push the country into poverty. Under the rule of the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979, approx. two million people – at that time about a quarter of Cambodia's population – lost their lives. During this time, exports of any kind came to a complete halt. After the end of the civil war, families of pepper farmers returned to their lands and began to resume pepper cultivation following their traditional methods. In 2021, yearly production of Kampot Pepper hit the mark of a hundred tons for the first time again. In 2016, Kampot Pepper has been registered a protected geographical indication (PGI) in the EU as first Cambodian product. Since then, Kampot Pepper is a protected trademark. Only certified pepper farmers can distribute their pepper under this term. Cultivation is subjected to strict guidelines, and compliance with those guidelines is strictly controlled. Perfect climatic conditions and natural farming methods give Kampot Pepper its distinctive, unique aroma, which make it appreciated by top chefs around the world.