PHNOM PENH – The Taste of Angkor Cookbooks 1 and 2 have beaten 200 countries, winning the “Best of the Best” Award at the Gourmand Awards Best of the Best 1995-2025 in Saudi Arabia. This is the fifth award for this series.

The four previous awards include Best Asian Cookbook in 2021, Best Asian Cuisine Book and Heads of State/Food in 2022, and Best Television Award in 2023. The second edition also recently won the Special Awards of Jury in June 2025.

“This latest recognition marks another milestone for the acclaimed cookbook series, as the inaugural edition received four prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The ministry launched the Taste of Angkor and Taste of Angkor 2 in 2021 and 2025, respectively, to promote the Khmer gastronomy globally and broaden culinary diplomacy. 

The book contains 38 of Cambodia’s favorite dishes and desserts with easy-to-follow, detailed recipes, including substitutions for Khmer ingredients that may be hard to source abroad. 

It also promotes Cambodian products such as Kampot pepper, jasmine rice and palm sugar.

Some popular foods such as coconut prahok dip, locally known as prahok ktis, fish amok as well as dried fish with watermelon are included in the book, along with the ingredients.

“The continued success of the Taste of Angkor series is a testament to the government’s commitment to enhancing national prestige and advancing Cambodia’s vision of becoming a high-income nation by 2050 by leveraging the Kingdom’s rich history, culture and tradition,” the ministry said.

The Gourmand World Cookbook Award was established in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau with the aim of supporting and promoting food culture worldwide.