Many people make the wrong assumption when hearing the word Khmer. The word is still closely associated with the Khmer Rouge and it is easy to understand why. The tragic events that Cambodia suffered through happened not too long ago; their reign ended in 1979 and the party was formerly dissolved in 1996. The word Khmer, however refers to an ethnic group in Cambodia, the majority of the country’s population. Instead of associating the word with the Khmer Rouge, we should link it to some of the great things that have come out of Cambodia, such as Khmer cuisine, the Khmer Empire (of which we now have its beautiful history and Angkor Wat), the Khmer language and of course the Khmer people!

Out of the 16 million or so people in Cambodia, about 14 million of those are of Khmer descent. That is almost 88% of the population. Another good segment of the population live in neighboring Thailand and Vietnam (a little more than one million each), with the United States being home to about 250,000. The Khmer people are highly religious and spiritual, as evidenced by their practicing religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Brahminism and even Animism.

Perhaps the most widely known historical relic to come out of Cambodia is Angkor Wat. And who built it? That’s right, the Khmers. The Khmer Empire, one of Southeast Asia’s greatest kingdoms flourished from the 9th to the 13th centuries. Its headquarters are at Angkor, and today we can see not only Angkor Wat but also a great deal of wonderful temple ruins there that further prove the greatness of the empire.

And don’t forget the language and beautiful script. It is heavily influenced by Pali and Sanskrit, two olden Buddhist languages which originated from ancient India. This in turn created the exotic Khmer script. And you may have seen it before. If you follow Hollywood pop culture happenings, you’ll notice the writing on Angelina Jolie’s left shoulder.

And who can forget Khmer cuisine? Amok may be the country’s most popular dish, but there is much more to try! The country’s colonial past is evident in its meals with baguettes, pate, tinned sardines, eggs and coffee forming the typical Khmer breakfast. Expect a lot of vegetables and rice with your meat dishes. It is tasty and certainly healthy!

Find out more about the true legacy of the Khmer name when you visit Cambodia.

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