Why it's different
Two things. The soil and climate of this strip of coast, and the fact that it is still picked and sorted by hand.
But the thing that actually changes how food tastes here is fresh green pepper. Elsewhere, pepper means dried corns. In Kampot and Kep you get the peppercorns still green, still on the stalk, used within days of picking. They are mild, bright and faintly citric rather than hot, and you eat them whole.
That is what goes into crab with green pepper, and it does not travel — which is why you cannot reproduce the dish at home.
The colours, and what they mean
All from the same vine, picked and processed differently:
| Colour | How it's made | Tastes like |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Picked unripe, used fresh | Mild, bright, citric. Doesn't travel |
| Black | Picked unripe, sun-dried | Sharp and floral. The all-purpose one |
| Red | Ripened on the vine, then dried | Sweeter and fruitier. Pricier, rarer |
| White | Ripe berries soaked, skins removed | Cleaner, more direct heat. Good with fish |
Red is the one to bring home if you only take one. Green is the one to eat while you're here.
Visiting a farm
Several farms in the hills take visitors, mostly a half-hour from Kampot and under an hour from Kep.
- La Plantation is the largest and best known, with a guided farm tour at around $5 per person taking a bit under two hours. It used to be free, so older guides and blogs will tell you otherwise
- Bo Tree Farm is smaller and quieter, and still runs a free tour
- Combined day tours from Kampot bundle a farm with the salt fields, the Secret Lake and a cave temple, usually around $25 per person
The harvest runs through the first half of the year, roughly February to May — that is when you'll see picking and sorting rather than just vines.
Prices and which farms charge change. Check before setting off, or ask us and we'll tell you what the current arrangement is.
Buying it
Buy at a farm or from a shop in Kampot or Kep rather than at the airport. Look for the protected-indication mark, which is the only real guard against pepper grown elsewhere and sold under the name.
A practical note: buy whole corns, not ground. Ground pepper loses what makes this worth carrying home within weeks.
Eating it before you leave
The obvious one is crab with fresh green pepper at the crab market. Beyond that, it turns up in lok lak, on grilled squid, and in a simple dipping sauce of pepper, lime and salt that accompanies almost everything — see what to eat in Cambodia.
Our kitchens cook with it daily, and the people doing the cooking are learning the trade with Khmer Hands.