The National fruit of Cambodia is the Chicken egg banana. The banana is regarded as the national fruit of Cambodia among the most other valuable plants and provides many benefits to society same as a palm tree and Rumduol flower. The Khmer common name is “Chek Pong Moin”. Its scientific name is “Musa aromatica” and English common name is “Chicken Egg Banana”.
What is Cambodia’s National Fruits? Understanding To Nature of Chicken Egg Banana
Chek Pong Moin is called in Khmer language, and the name of the scientific is Musa Aromatic and Chicken Egg Banana in English. Banana is popular for eating and used by every Cambodian people. They can eat the matured banana fruit or preserved fruit, flat drying and drying banana, etc. Other than that Cambodian people like to use banana for offering to the spirit or for present in many ceremonies and also used for offering to Thevada every Buddhist Saint day too. In Khmer expression “when sick use elephant to pray and when sickness gone even chicken egg banana is repented”. This is indicated that banana has been used for general purpose because it is cheap and can be found everywhere.
The banana has been cultivated in Cambodia for a long time, although it originated in India, for example, in some of the Khmer folk tales were also mentioned about the banana such as Chao Sror Toib Chek (grand Child of Banana Sheath). Most of the bananas are planted along the Mekong Delta area, especially in the new emerge islands. It is a plant that Khmer people cultivate during June and July and harvest in the next 5 or 6 months.
It has small body, small corm, lightweight, and quick to harvest. It has slightly rounded-shape, green color when unripe, and yellow when ripe. It is one of the most expensive bananas in the market among the other two types: Pisamg Awak (Chek Nam Va) and Chek Om Boung. Other than grow for fruit to generate income of the farmer’s family, banana crop can also be used for many purposes such as stump is source of flour (starch or carbohydrate), especially during temporary scarcity of food, stem can be cut for pigs, cows, and buffalos feed, etc. It also can be used tie string, material for offering to spirit, leaf used for pack or wrap cake or other foodstuff, and banana flowers can be used as fresh vegetable or for cooking.
Why Chicken Egg Banana is The National Fruit in Cambodia?
The reasons of choosing Chek Pong Moin as a national symbol due to this banana provides a great benefit to Khmer society and also wants to show this valuable natural heritage to others. There are many advantages of this banana such as:
- Banana is the most effective in many therapeutic such as Constipation, Gastritis, Enteritis, vomiting, lack of blood, obesity, heart disease, and some other diseases.
- Ripe Banana could be eating or served as deserts. While, the flower and unripe banana are used as vegetable for cooking or eating according to the custom of the people.
- Its peel can also eliminate pains, rash or swelling when get sting or bite from the insects, by just apply on the spot where the wound.
- They take the banana tree to feed the animals such as pigs, cattle, duck and so forth. The leaves are used to pack foodstuffs and make as Baysei in curtained ceremonies in Hinduism and Buddhism.
- Its trunk is a source of Amino acids powder.
- Furthermore, Cambodian farmers can harvest banana to sell to support their living.
Due to its appearance and abundant benefits, we have designed it as a national symbol according to by the Royal Decrees NS/RKT/0305/149 dated 21st March 2005 and also protected and preserved from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries according to Prakas 359 SKS.PR dated August 1 1994.
