Battambang, a city rich in culture and traditional food, has become Cambodia’s first city to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) as a destination for gastronomy, with local authority and vendors promising to promote and improve their products to attract more tourists.
According to UNESCO, 55 cities joined its network on World Cities Day 2023, following their designation by UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay. The new cities, including Battambang, were acknowledged for its strong commitment in harnessing culture and creativity as part of its development strategy, and displaying innovative practices in human-centered urban planning.
With the latest additions, the network now boasts 350 cities in more than 100 countries, which represent seven creative fields – crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music.
The inclusion of Battambang in the gastronomy category not only showcases its exceptional cuisine but also leverages gastronomy to enhance local development and global cultural exchange.
“UNESCO congratulates Cambodia on this first-ever achievement. The recognition of Battambang as a creative city of gastronomy is a tribute to the city’s cultural assets. [It] will be instrumental in promoting culture and creativity and enhancing the economic growth and tourism income of the communities,” said Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO representative to Cambodia.
This year, UNESCO Cambodia provided technical assistance to the government and facilitated capacity building activities for the promotion of UCCN, which was co-organized by the Battambang municipality, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in Battambang.
Local dishes such as nem Battambang (soft fish), prahok Battambang, amok Battambang, kralan Battambang (sticky rice stuffed in bamboo), sangvak Battambang, papaya salad Battambang, kantuy hes Battambang, rice paper Battambang and teuk kroeung Battambang are popular dishes consumed daily by the people in the province.
A quick survey showed that local authorities and vendors were jubilant about the achievement and have pledged to continue improving their products.
Battambang provincial governor Sok Lou thanked UNESCO for recognizing the city’s gastronomical delights. He said the achievement reflects peacefulness in the country, which has encouraged local people to showcase their creativity in producing Khmer dishes, and exhibiting their work during local celebrations.
He expects Battambang province to attract more national and international tourists, which will help increase local residents’ income.
“With our city receiving this recognition, more tourists will visit Battambang. This means more food will be made available. There will be more hotels and guesthouses, and more markets as local people would need to grow more vegetables and fruits,” he said. “It will raise the standard of living, which is a huge benefit for our people in Battambang.”
While Lou thanked Battambang people for their effort in helping to win a spot on the UCCN, he also appealed to them to create more new and delicious dishes, as well as ensure its quality and hygiene. The price should also be affordable in order to maintain its position in the network.
Kantrok Meas owner Sok Rachana, who sells Khmer creative food products, like nem (soft fish), sangvak, Khmer sweets and fruits in Battambang, was happy with the UNESCO recognition.
“As a business owner and a Battambang native, I am very happy, surprised and excited to receive such a big achievement for Cambodia,” she said. “We will try to increase the promotion of what is already available and refine the ingredients and enhance the flavors of the dishes.”
Asked about the packaging and quality of food in her province, Rachana said relevant authorities continuously inspect them. She added that local vendors are more knowledgeable these days and that the packaging industry has improved and meets the food safety standards.
“I notice a lot of awareness and development regarding hygiene in food packaging because it concerns the health of consumers,” she said. “For example, in the past, nem was packed using traditional methods, but packaging has evolved in accordance with food safety standards. Now, we use banana leaves and environmentally-friendly boxes.”
In order to maintain Battambang city’s gastronomy status on UCCN while meeting its standards, she urged relevant stakeholders to work together with vendors to provide advice and increase advertisements on Khmer food.
“I also urge the government and NGOs to provide assistance in developing modern technologies. I hope experts will increase the confidence of buyers and support Cambodian products through increased advertising.”
Pen Minear, owner of Pen Cheng Traditional Khmer Foods, which has been operating since 1985, said traditional food is a “special point” for Battambang because of its unique taste, cooking style and is an identity of Khmer food.
“As a food business owner, I see that Khmer food is very popular in restaurants. Apart from tourist sites, Battambang is a tourist destination for food, where tourists return again and again to enjoy the delicious local dishes,” she said.
“We will continue cooperating with the authorities and provincial departments to promote the Khmer food industry and preserve the original taste of famous Khmer dishes,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts congratulated Battambang city for being included in the UNESCO network.
Siyun Sophearith, cultural technical general director of the ministry, told CamboJA on Wednesday that he was happy for Battambang city and her people for having their local food recognised by UNESCO. After failing to join the network with UNESCO in 2021, Siyun said the Battambang governor worked hard to ensure all requirements and standards were met in order to gain the recognition.
According to Sophearith, Battambang is the only city in Cambodia which registered to join the network. Other cities have not yet made an initiative. However, following this achievement, the relevant ministries would work with other local authorities to prepare and have more cities join the UCCN, he said.
In its congratulatory message to Battambang city on Wednesday, the Ministry of Tourism said the success was a result of close and cohesive collaboration with several ministries, local authorities, UNESCO Office, the tourism sector and other national and international stakeholders.
The collaboration, which took place from the nomination process in 2021 until its official announcement on October 31, 2023, involved studying the concept note, consulting with stakeholders, filling up the application form and related documents, and coordinating with the UCCN secretariat.
“This is part of the achievement under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Manet. The UCCN membership will [also] drive [efforts] to achieve the strategic initiative ‘BUILD + 3Ds’, especially ‘Brand Management’, [aimed at developing] a competitive, sustainable and inclusive tourism sector,” the ministry said.
Both Tourism Ministry spokesperson Chok Chumno and research officer on cultural relations, education and tourism of Royal Academy of Cambodia Dr Chhot Bunthong could not be reached for further comment.
