Vietnamese cuisine always amazes food lovers from all over the world with its diversity and richness. Besides familiar, traditional dishes, there is another culinary world that is distinct, unique, and equally attractive: dishes made from insects. It may sound strange or even scary, but with the skillful hands of Vietnamese people, insects such as stink bugs, grasshoppers, silkworm pupae, ant eggs, etc., have become specialties, bearing unique flavors and high nutritional value.
Ant Egg Sticky Rice – A Unique Delicacy from the Mountains
Ant egg sticky rice is a specialty of the Northern mountainous regions, especially around March in the lunar calendar. Not all types of ant eggs can be used; local people only choose the eggs of black ants, which are large and live in forest trees. Harvesting ant eggs requires meticulousness and skill to avoid breaking the nest.
After being collected, ant eggs are cleaned with warm water, drained, and then marinated with spices such as seasoning powder and dried shallots. Then, the ant eggs are stir-fried with lard until fragrant and appealing. To enhance the flavor, people often wrap ant eggs in young rice leaves, creating a delicious, fatty ant egg sticky rice dish imbued with the flavors of the mountains and forests. The fragrant, sticky rice combined with the fatty taste of scallion oil and the nutty flavor of ant eggs creates an unforgettable culinary experience.
Sticky rice with ant eggs, a delicious and fatty dish
Stink Bug Stir-fried with Lemon Leaves – Irresistible Countryside Flavor
Stink bugs are a familiar dish for people in rural and mountainous areas. According to folk beliefs, stink bugs live on the essence of plants, so they are very nutritious. However, stink bugs have a characteristic odor, so they need to be pre-processed carefully before cooking.
To remove the odor, stink bugs are soaked in diluted salt water for a few hours, then boiled with sour bamboo shoot broth until dry. People also often cut off the stink bug’s tail to remove the pungent smell. When stir-frying, only a little seasoning is needed because stink bugs themselves have a natural salty taste. Stink bugs quickly stir-fried over high heat will turn golden brown, crispy, and have a distinctive sweet and nutty flavor. Adding a little chopped lemon leaf enhances the aroma of the dish.
Cicada Stir-fried with Lemon Leaves – Crispy and Fatty Dish
Cicada stir-fried with lemon leaves is a unique dish, loved by many for its delicious and nutritious flavor. The cicada body is soft inside, with a crispy, fatty shell, creating a perfect combination.
Crispy Fried White Crickets – Countryside Specialty
Crispy fried white crickets are a rustic dish but contain an irresistible delicious flavor. White crickets are rated higher than black crickets and field crickets because their meat is sweeter and more fragrant. Fresh, fatty crickets are deep-fried in hot oil with thinly sliced pork belly and lemon leaves, creating a dish that is both flavorful and visually appealing.
Crispy fried cicada with lemon leaves, crispy skin and flavorful inside
Crispy Fried Scorpion – A Test of Courage
Crispy fried scorpion is not a dish for the faint of heart. The bizarre shape of the scorpion with its sharp claws can make many people hesitant. However, this is a popular dish in many countries, due to its unique flavor and high nutritional value. Scorpions are deep-fried whole until crispy, both delicious and offering a sense of challenge and discovery.
Bee Larvae – A Gift from Nature
Ground bee larvae, also known as bee worms, are a rich source of nutrients, containing many vitamins, proteins, minerals, sugars, and amino acids. People in Northern mountainous provinces such as Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, and Cao Bang often process ground bee larvae into many attractive dishes. Bee larvae are stir-fried with dried shallots, fresh ginger, and chopped lemon leaves in hot lard, creating a fragrant, soft, and fatty dish.
Grasshopper Stir-fried with Lemon Leaves – Countryside Flavor
Grasshopper stir-fried with lemon leaves is a familiar dish for people in the Northern Delta region. Fatty milk grasshoppers are dry-fried with lemon leaves and lemongrass, seasoned with a little fish sauce until golden brown. This dish has a nutty, fragrant, crispy flavor and is a favorite of both adults and children. The grasshopper season is usually after the rice harvest in May and September, when grasshoppers are sold a lot in the market.
Stir-fried grasshoppers, a delicious countryside dish
Stir-fried Silkworm Pupae – Nutritious Dish
Silkworm pupae are a fairly common dish in Vietnamese families and restaurants. Silkworm pupae can be processed into many different dishes, but the most popular is stir-fried silkworm pupae with lemon leaves. This dish has a nutty flavor, is easy to eat, and is very nutritious.
Coconut Weevil – Mekong Delta Specialty
Coconut weevil is a famous specialty of the Mekong Delta region, especially in Tra Vinh. Coconut weevil is the larva of the palm weevil beetle, living in coconut tree trunks. To enhance the flavor of the coconut weevil dish, people often stuff peanuts inside. The fatty taste of coconut weevil combined with the nutty taste of peanuts creates an indescribable sensation.
Coconut weevil, many people are afraid to eat it
Dung Beetle – Unique Dish
Dung beetle is a unique dish and not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy it. Not all types of dung beetles are edible, but only those that live in buffalo dung in the forest. After being caught, dung beetles are raised in a tank for about 1-2 days with rice bran to clean their intestines. Then, dung beetles can be processed into many dishes such as stir-fried with bamboo shoots, stir-fried for drinking with alcohol, or eaten with rice.
Insect cuisine in Vietnam is not only unique and exotic dishes but also a part of culinary culture, showing the creativity and ability to utilize natural resources of Vietnamese people. If you have the opportunity to come to Vietnam, don’t hesitate to try these dishes for a memorable culinary experience.