Article updated on December 28, 2024
Text & photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen

Battambang, Cambodia’s second-largest city with a thriving agriculture, is an authentic destination that is ideal to dig into the traditional crafts of the country. Join us as we take you through a series of seven short articles, each uncovering the secrets of one of these crafts.

The process of making dried banana sheets—a favorite Cambodian snack—can be difficult to imagine, and even harder to picture what these long, thin sheets actually taste like. Yet, in the rural areas just north of Battambang, Cambodia’s second-largest city, many families have been perfecting this craft for generations, producing one of the country’s most popular treats: dried banana sheets.

The process is surprisingly simple and eco-friendly. A group of girls is lined up, each armed with a razor-sharp knife, skillfully slicing tiny sweet bananas—the secret ingredient to the snack’s delicious taste. The bananas are sliced paper-thin, in the length of the fruit, and carefully placed on bamboo frames, with each slice slightly overlapping the next. The bamboo frames are then set out in the sun to dry, often for a full day, to achieve the signature toffee-like consistency and natural, sugary flavor.

Once dried, the banana sheets are peeled off the bamboo frames, folded, and packed into bags, ready to be sold. The result is a snack that is as sustainable as it is delicious—sweet, chewy, and full of natural flavor.

Travel tips:

• To make the most of your visit, we strongly recommend you to take a local guide as most craft-people do not speak English and are actually working hard to make a living, so they should not be disturbed. The local guide knows the usage and will tip appropriately.
• Check out this interactive map for the specific details to help you plan your trip and more articles and photos (zoom out) about the area!
  

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