Dish

Num Pang Pate

នំបុ័ងប៉ាតេ

Cambodian baguette sandwich of country pate, cold cuts, pickled vegetables and herbs.

Num pang pâté (នំបុ័ងប៉ាតេ, num pang pâté) is a Cambodian baguette sandwich of country pâté, cold cuts, pickled vegetables and herbs.[1][2] The name means "bread with pâté."[3]

Cultural context

Num pang (នំបុ័ង) is the Khmer word for bread.[4] It comes straight from French: num means cake, and pang comes from pain, the French word for bread.[5] The bread is a short baguette with a thin, crisp crust and a soft, airy inside. The word also means the sandwich itself: a demi-baguette split lengthwise and filled.[6][1] Num pang pâté is the basic, everyday filling, and many other versions exist.[4][5]

In Phnom Penh, Khmer people commonly eat num pang pâté for lunch or an early evening meal, and vendors sell it all over the city.[7] In 2013 it was sold at a stall at the corner of Streets 111 and 182 by O'Russey Market, and a group of restaurants that specialize in it stood near the corner of Streets 51 and 136.[7] Baguette stalls stand near markets, schools and transport stops.[8] It is a street snack that is easy to eat on the go.[9] In a food culture built on rice, num pang is a snack or an extra rather than a staple.[5]

Its appeal comes from the contrast of warm, crisp bread, rich fillings and sweet-tart pickles.[7] Grantourismo Travels calls num pang Cambodia's version of Vietnam's bánh mì, but little known outside Cambodia and the Khmer diaspora.[1] In the United States, one Khmer American commenter notes, Khmer sandwiches are commonly called banh my.[1] In New York, Ratha Chaupoly and Ben Daitz opened the sandwich shop Num Pang in 2009, selling Cambodian-inspired sandwiches on toasted semolina rolls.[10][2]

Ingredients and preparation

The sandwich holds pâté, a variety of cold cuts, mayonnaise, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber and fresh herbs such as coriander.[1][2] Some versions add butter or a thick spread of chili paste.[7] In Cambodia a rustic country-style pork pâté is typical.[1] Street food cooks usually make their own French-style pâté, and Grantourismo Travels counts this among the things that set their sandwiches apart. Some families still make theirs, but today they are more likely to buy it.[1] One Phnom Penh vendor said in 2013 that the pâté was finely chopped pork with salt, pepper and MSG.[7] Some sellers also use a luncheon meat that comes in pale or mottled pink slabs. The same vendor explained that makers mince the meat into a paste, form it into blocks and boil it, sometimes with pepper.[7]

One recipe uses a demi-baguette, French mayonnaise to taste, 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of rustic French country pâté, about six slices of cold cuts, a thinly sliced cucumber with the skin on, a quick pickle of carrots and daikon, and sprigs of coriander.[1] The baguette warms in a 180°C (350°F) oven for about a minute. It is cut lengthwise but not all the way through.[1] Mayonnaise goes on the top half and pâté on the bottom half.[1] The cold cuts go in first, followed by the cucumber, the pickle and the herbs.[1] Sliced bird's-eye chilies or chili sauce may be added at the end.[1] The sandwich is folded shut and eaten at once, and the recipe takes about 30 minutes in all.[1]

In her memoir, Chantha Nguon records a pâté de foie of chicken liver, pork, pork fat, garlic and cloves, wrapped in pork belly fat and steamed. Her family ate it as a sandwich with a Khmer baguette and pickled carrots and daikon.[5] Her final version of the recipe adds cognac and peppercorns.[5]

History and origins

Baguettes came into Cambodian cooking from the French, when Cambodia was a protectorate in French Indochina.[6][5] The pâté sandwich dates to that era.[3] French colonial bakeries spread the baguette through Cambodian towns, and it became an everyday city food rather than only a colonial luxury.[8] The baguette tradition lasted through independence and war as a practical base for Cambodian street food.[8] Num pang is a close cousin of bánh mì and khao jee pâté, the Vietnamese and Lao takes on the French jambon-beurre. It grew out of the many cooking traditions that shaped Cambodian food.[5] The Khmer baguette is softer, crisper and lighter than the French one, and it is well buttered.[5]

Regional and household variations

Home cooks change the fillings. Smooth duck or chicken liver pâté, mousse or a rustic terrine can take the place of pork pâté, and store-bought pâté works too.[1][11] The cold cuts may be country ham, pastrami, coppa, mortadella, lardo or salami, and basil or mint may replace the coriander.[1][11] One version fills warmed bread with pork or a ham-like meat and mango salad, topped with chili sauce and pepper sauce.[4]

Street versions use other fillings. Some locals slide grilled beef skewers, marinated in a lemongrass kroeung, off the stick into a buttered baguette with pickled vegetables.[12] Grantourismo's Lara Dunston has seen num pang filled with tinned mackerel, canned luncheon meat and roast chicken in Siem Reap, and with fish cakes in Phnom Penh.[6] Num pang with pork meatballs, a quick pickle of carrot and daikon, salad and fresh herbs is a popular street snack in Siem Reap.[11][6] Sach ko ang jakak is a similar sandwich made with grilled sausage meat in place of luncheon pork.[7]

Preparations and recipes

  • Lara Dunston, Grantourismo
    Warmed demi-baguette layered with mayonnaise, country pate, cold cuts, cucumber, carrot and daikon pickle and coriander.

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Grantourismo Travels, Cambodian Num Pang Pâté Recipe (May 12, 2020)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Move to Cambodia, Lina Goldberg, Cambodian sandwich face-off: Nömpang vs Banh Mi & Bros (June 10, 2016)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wonders of Cambodia, Picture of the day: Pâté sandwich (July 27, 2025)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 文化の窓, カンボジアとフランス (January 16, 2018)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 The Sword And the Sandwich, Notable Sandwiches #126: Num Pang (May 16, 2025)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Grantourismo Travels, Lara Dunston, Cambodian Num Pang Recipe for Num Pang Barang with Turkey Leftovers
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Phnom Penh Post, Num pang pâté: Growing to love mystery meat (November 22, 2013)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Wonders of Cambodia, Khmer Cuisine: Rice, Rivers and Baguette Dreams (August 13, 2026)
  9. ↑ Authentic Food Quest, Top 10 Popular Cambodian Street Food You Want to Try (January 30, 2024)
  10. ↑ QSR Magazine, Num Pang Opens 7th Location, Serves Thanksgiving LTO (October 28, 2015)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Grantourismo Travels, Best Sandwich Recipes for Banh Mi, Burgers, Num Pang and More (May 7, 2024)
  12. ↑ Grantourismo Travels, Terence Carter, Cambodian Beef Skewers Recipe with Lemongrass
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This page was last edited on 9 October 2026, at 06:31.