sugar, and vinegar. Hoisin sauce is used to marinate grilled meat and especially for kuyteav or soups with hand pulled noodles. Herbs and spices The most common herbs and spices in Cambodian cuisine are sweet basil (ជីរនាងវង, ), coriander (, ), hot mint (, ), turmeric (រមៀត, ), garlic, ginger (ខ្ញី, ), galangal (រំដេង, ), kaffir lime leaves (ស្លឹកក្រូចសើច, ), neem leaves (ស្លឹកស្ដៅ, ), peppermint (, ), lemongrass (ស្លឹកគ្រៃ, ), chives (, ), scallions, saw leaf herb (, ), fingerroot (ខ្ខ្ជាយ, ) and rice paddy herb. Certain regions in Cambodia are known for their spices. Kampot pepper and Kampong Speu palm sugar (, ) have been granted Geographical Indications in Cambodia and protected geographical indication in the European Union. Cardamom Mountains in Southwest Cambodia are famous for their large population of wild cardamon plants and Battambang Province for its turmeric. The cultivation to peppercorns in Cambodia dates back to at least the 13th century and because of its "uniquely strong yet delicate aroma" and "slightly sweet, eucalyptus taste" Kampot pepper is often regarded as the world's best pepper. Kroeung Kroeung (, – 'ingredients') is a Khmer fresh flavouring paste commonly used in curries, soups and stir-fries, one of the essential ingredients of Cambodian cuisine. The base of the paste consists of pounded lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, kaffir lime leaves and turmeric. There are five common types of kroeung: yellow kroeung (kroeung samlar m’chu), green kroeung (kroeung prâhoeur) and red kroeung (kroeung samlar kari), as well as k’tis kroeung (kroeung samlar k’tis), and saraman kroeung (kroeung samlar saraman) each with different uses. Vegetables The Cambodian diet consists heavily of leaf vegetables, such as water morning glory (, ), cabbage (, ), Chinese kale (, ), betel (ស្លឹកម្លូ, ), vine spinach (, ), and watercress (, ), which are used in soups, stir-fries (ឆា, ) and salads. Cambodian cuisine also uses different squashes, such as bitter melon (ម្រះ, ), winter melon (, ), kabocha, and luffa (, ), root vegetables, such as carrots (ការ៉ុត, ), cassava (, ), lotus rhizomes (, ), potatoes (ដំឡូង, ), radish (, ), sweet potatoes (, ) and jicama (, or ប៉ិកួៈ, ) and other vegetables, such as cucumbers (ត្រសក់, ), eggplants (ត្រប់, ), tomatoes (ប៉េងប៉ោះ, ), cauliflower (, ), chayote (, ), shallots (, ), yardlong beans (, ) and maize (ពោត, ). Many unripe fruits, such as papaya, green banana, and mango, are also used