SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- In a rural fishing village on the bank of the Tonle Sap Lake here in northwest Cambodia, farmers were busy on Tuesday with making smoked fish, a tradition that has existed for centuries.

Smoked fish has been a staple food of Cambodians for centuries. Usually, dwellers along the Mekong River and around the Tonle Sap Lake make it, as it is a traditional way of preserving fish for eating or selling later.

Smoked fish can be made from various types of fish species such as Siamese mud carp, Mystus albolineatus catfish, ray-finned fish (Paralaubuca typus), Bleeker's sheatfish (Micronema bleekeri), catfish, and smith barb, among others.

Soeum Kimse, a fish smoker in Spean Veng village in Soutr Nikom district's Kampong Khleanng commune, said the practice of smoking fish has existed in the village for centuries.

"Since I was a child, I saw my grandparents and parents making smoked fish and I have continued this tradition from them since 2008," the 40-year-old man told Xinhua. "This is our major business for generations."

Kimse said he buys fish from fishermen to make it, saying that to make smoked fish, the fish is first cleaned by cutting off its head and removing the innards.

"After that, we put the cleaned fish together on bamboo skewers and dry them under sunlight for about two hours. Then, we place them on wire grill shelves about 0.5 meters above the ground and the fire is lit underneath them," he said.

"It normally takes around four to five hours to make fish look red and crunchy," he added.

Kimse said smoked fish can be kept as a staple food for up to six months or longer if they are stored in the fridge.

He said smoked fish is one of the favorite dishes for Cambodian people, as it can be eaten directly, or eaten with unripe mango mixed with fish sauce, or used as an ingredient for different kinds of food.

Situated roughly 50 km southeast of the UNESCO-listed Angkor Wat Temple, Spean Veng village is flooded during the rainy season and dries during the dry season because of the lake's changing tides.

Kampong Khleanng communal councilor Touch Bunthoeun said people in the community earn their living by fishing, making smoked fish, providing services to tourists, and farming, among others.

"Producing smoked fish is a business for some villagers here for generations," the 50-year-old official told Xinhua. "Since I was born, I always saw them making smoked fish."

Bunthoeun said approximately 30 families in the commune are fish smokers.

"The practice of smoking fish not only contributes to preserving this age-old tradition, but also helps attract tourists to this rural village," he said. "Tourists are curious to see our traditional way of making smoked fish."

Fish is a major source of protein for the population in the Southeast Asian country.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, fish accounted for 76 percent of household protein intake in the kingdom, as the fisheries sector played a crucial role in ensuring food security and supporting about 2 million jobs nationwide.

It is estimated that a Cambodian eats an average of 52.4 kg of fish a year. Enditem

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