La Plantation, Kampot Pepper

Visit of La Plantation

After breakfast we left for a visit of ‘La Plantation’, a pepper farm established by a Belgian-French couple. The journey to the farm was very bumpy due to the unpaved dusty roads with many potholes. Our tuk tuk driver stopped to buy for the 3 of us face masks to protect us against the dust.

We decided to do the ride in a tuk tuk, because we really wanted to experience the surroundings at a slower pace. A car might have been more comfortable, but it takes away the charm of traveling through the rural area. We were very glad with our decision (but this is of course a personal preference).

The excursion took a bit more than half a day, but this was due to the activities chosen. We participated in the free guided tour during which we learned more about the cultivation of the famous Kampot peppercorn. We took the French speaking tour lead by Merlin because it was the first one available. Subsequently, we participate in the pepper tasting (which I can really recommend !). There were also other activities on offer (those interested should take a look at the website: Kampotpepper.com).

The tour at the pepper farm was great. Besides pepper, also other spices and fruits were grown there. Merlin explained us the entire process from plant to peppercorn. Very impressive! Each peppercorn is touched at least once by a hand! Some are picked from the plants per bunch, others are manually removed and checked for errors. Those who do not meet all quality requirements are sold to the local population and restaurants. 

Pepper Tasting and Lunch

For the pepper tasting, I had put my bottle of water on the table, but Merlin said that sipping from water after tasting the peppercorns was a very bad idea. It would taste even more spicier. I am not the type of person that eats very spicy, but I have to admit that most of the pepper that we tried was very good. Yearly, they produce more than 20 kilos of peppercorns that were first eaten by birds then collected from their droppings. Of course after a good wash !

After the tasting, we bought some different types of pepper as gifts but also for ourselves. We received some recipes with them through e-mail.

We decided to have lunch in one of the two restaurants. We ordered the pepper sausages as well as the beef with green pepper. Delicious ! After the main course, we also tried an ice cream with ginger and lemongrass. Amazing!

Very pleased with the excursion, we returned to Villa Kep.