Dog restaurant booms in Battambang

(below) Curry dog meat and (top) grilled dog meat.

BATTAMBANG (Cambodia Herald) - Dog meat is not only sought after by Koreans visiting Cambodia but is also popular among Cambodians in the provinces.

Phu Song Heng has been running a dog restaurant catering to locals in Rom Chek Boun village in Rathanak commune for seven years. "I chose this business after I stopped working as a statue molder," he told Cambodia Express News, an affiliate of The Cambodia Herald. "The business started getting recognized and has been doing well since the fourth year." Phu Song Heng says he buys about 60 kilograms of dog meat a day for about 10,000 riel ($2.50) a kilo. "A small plate of cooked dog meat costs 3,500 riel and it's 5,000 riel ($1.25) for a big dish," he said, adding that daily turnover is about a  million riel ($250) including drinks.

"Vegetables, banana flowers and herbs go really well with this meat because they help reduce the strong smell." Phu Song Heng uses a sauce which he calls "Teok Chro Louk Ma Chu Kon Me" which includes ginger, saffron, lemongrass, orange leaves, tamarind, soybeans, shrimp paste, sugar and salt. "The curry dish takes about an hour to be done, and may take longer if the meat is tough," he said. The restaurant also features roast dog. One customer, who gave his name as Makara, said he was a big fan of dog meat. "It gives me strength and it's a special appetizer," he said. Another customer, Samam, noted that the meat contained no chemicals. "But it is high in calories and makes me warm in winter," he said, echoing a common Chinese reason for eating dog. "It's also a rare meat banned in religion." Sor Pang is another big fan of the restaurant, especially the euphemistically-named "Sonte Sok Phum" (Village Guard) dish. "The sauce is great," he said. "The meat is also recognized by foreigners."