Salt, not pepper. That’s what Kampot is really famous for. With the added Iodine, (or “Iod” in Khmer), hundreds of thousands of Khmer children’s lives have been saved.
The salt fields are close to the ocean, and water is let in from the ocean to the fields. The fields are then blocked from the ocean, and the water is allowed to evaporate, leaving salt crystals. This process is repeated many times. Salt production is from around the end of December to April. This is when it doesn’t rain too much.
The raw salt is then collected and piled up in warehouses in the salt fields. Then, it’s delivered to the salt factory, where it is cleaned, Iodine is added, and packaged in 50 Kilogram bags, for shipment throughout the country.
Find salt fields on the road from Kampot to Kep, just outside of town, and also, from downtown Kampot cross any bridge, turn left, and keep going for about 15 minutes. Thar she’ll be. Fish Island. Also, near Koh Smao, downriver from downtown are major salt fields. The famous Salt Fields of Kampot.
