:Cheung Prey district

{{Infobox settlement

|name = Cheung Prey

|other_name =

|native_name = {{nobold|{{lang|km|ស្រុកជើងព្រៃ}}}}

|nickname =

|settlement_type = District (srok)

|image_skyline = Skun spiders closeup.jpg

|imagesize =

|image_caption = Fried spiders for sale at the market in Skuon, Cheung Prey

|image_map =

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|map_caption =

|pushpin_map =Cambodia

|pushpin_label_position =bottom

|pushpin_mapsize =250

|pushpin_map_caption =Location in Cambodia

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = {{flag|Cambodia}}

|subdivision_type1 = Province

|subdivision_name1 = Kampong Cham

|subdivision_type2 = Communes

|subdivision_name2 = 10

|subdivision_type3 = Villages

|subdivision_name3 = 74

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|population_as_of =1998

|population_footnotes ={{cite book|title=General Population Census of Cambodia, 1998: Village Gazetteer|publisher=National Institute of Statistics|date=February 2000|pages=36–37}}

|population_note =

|population_total =74,859

|population_density_km2 =

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|timezone =+7

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|coordinates = {{coord|12|3|4|N|105|4|15|E|region:KH|display=inline}}

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|blank_name =Geocode

|blank_info =0303

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}}

{{Contains special characters|Khmer}}

Cheung Prey ({{langx|km|ស្រុកជើងព្រៃ}}, {{Literal translation|The Jungle Foots}}) is a district (srok) of Kampong Cham province, Cambodia. The district capital is Skuon town. This busy market town has grown up around the intersection of National Highway 6 and National Highway 7. Skun is around 49 kilometres east of the provincial capital at Kampong Cham city and 75 kilometres north of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.{{cite book|title=Total Road Atlas of Cambodia 2006|publisher=Total Cambodge|year=2006|edition=3rd|pages=44}}

The district capital of Skuon is also known as "Spiderville."{{cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/3/25/lifetravel/13720025&sec=lifetravel|title=Braving the bugs|last=Price|first=Liz|date=March 25, 2006|work=The Star online|access-date=2009-01-30}} The town has become famous with both locals and international visitors to Cambodia for its fried spiders.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/fried-spider-anyone-416812.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323022845/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/fried-spider-anyone-416812.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 23, 2012|title= Fried spider, anyone?|date=24 September 2006|work=The Independent|access-date=2009-01-28}} The spiders are either captured in their burrows or bred for sale. First the venom is removed and then the spider is killed by squeezing the thorax. The spiders are then fried whole with garlic and salt. The practice of eating spiders in Cheung Prey began under the Democratic Kampuchea regime in Cambodia. Eating spiders and other insects helped locals starving from the harsh policies of the Khmer Rouge. Now that local residents have acquired the taste, the fame of the crunchy spiders has spread and people travel from Phnom Penh just to sample the deep fried arachnae.{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/4444090a34.html|title=Cambodia at the coalface|last=McNabb|first=Denise|date=19 March 2008|publisher=The Independent via Stuff.co.nz|access-date=2009-01-30}} International visitors also travel to Skun to see the spiders, but most are content to take photographs rather than sample this unusual delicacy.