Located in the Cheung Prey district, at the heart of Kampong Cham province, the town of Skun has built its reputation around its cuisine… based on insects! Mainly spiders. These arachnids are sold at the market, offered in restaurants and street food stalls, and always present a difficult choice for travelers. To touch it with your eyes or to swallow it? Many dare to try, and report a chicken-like aftertaste that comes after chewing the crispy, grilled skin.

The first stalls in the traditional Skun market set the tone. Piles of fried and grilled spiders lie on trays like symbols of this town. While not a key stop on a trip to Cambodia, it may attract some travelers looking for new taste experiences, making it an interesting stop nonetheless. Located 70 kilometers northeast of the capital Phnom Penh, it is at the crossroads leading to Siem Reap to the north, or Kratié and the Mondulkiri province to the east. A stop on the vacation path is certainly possible, and a few guesthouses and hotels can be found, allowing travelers to spend a night and dive deeper into the experience.

A recent history 

Spiders and various insects from the Cambodian countryside are widely represented in the stalls and plates of Skun. However, this is not an ancient or century-old tradition. It developed during the dictatorial period of the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. Cambodians were sent as forced laborers to work in different rural areas of the country. They were tasked with harvesting and building, notably irrigation systems, many of which later served as mass graves, working tirelessly all day long. The workers, the majority of the population, were extremely undernourished. A bowl of rice a day, if they were lucky. The inhabitants of the Skun region therefore tried to make do to fight against hunger. Spiders, abundant in the area, allowed many to get by and hold on. Over time, this practice persisted, and the "Skun" cuisine of fried spiders became very famous in Cambodia, attracting numerous travelers from the capital Phnom Penh.

A precise preparation

Today, the suppliers of grilled spiders in Skun have mastered the preparation process of this dish. Some insects are farmed in the town, while others are hunted directly from burrows in the surrounding countryside. The venom is removed from the spider's body before it is killed. The spiders are then brought to the kitchen, where they are fried with salt and garlic.