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Trung Vit Lon is sold in every street of Vietnam from rural areas to alleyways. Just a small table, some chairs and a pot of boiled eggs and the shop is ready to serve. The Vietnamese have a habit of eating Trung Vit Lon in the morning or late evening.
Ruou thuoc, or distilled spirits, is a delicacy in Vietnam and is thought to have good medicinal value. (Photo by Theo Klein/Getty) Images)
Duong Dua is a form of beetle larvae. After the breeding season the beetle usually chooses the healthy coconut, pierces a hole on top and lays the eggs in it. After the eggs hatch, the larvae grow by eating the young shoot of the coconut tree until the tree is pierced through.
Although the coconut is spoiled by Duong Dua, the worms are delicious and are a delicacy in the coconut land of the Mekong River delta. One kilogram of Duong Dua usually costs 500.000 Dong (about 23 USD); out of season the price is even higher.
If you’re a drinker, this next one might pique your fancy. Ruou Thuoc is a distilled liquor with animals inside. The animals are usually soaked live, just roughly processed and not cooked. Some animals’ whole bodies are placed in the jar like cobras. In addition to gecko, seahorses and bees, I have seen a monkey soaked in a big bottle of liquor.
Balut is a delicacy in southeast Asia that involves eating a boiled duck embryo, like the ones sold on the streets in Vietnam. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)
The good thing about Ruou Thuoc is that when the liquor is distilled, the herb is preserved for a long time and reduces toxicity of the alcohol. Herbs soaked in liquor are believed to act as a general tonic, effective at stimulating digestion and enhancing sexual ability.
Tiet Canh, or blood pudding, is a popular dish of Vietnamese people. Tiet Canh is made from animal blood, fresh after slaughtering, coupled with light fish sauce or salt water, thoroughly stirred with chopsticks and mixed with minced meat, spring onions, and groundnut so that the blood coagulates.
After boiling the meat, the cook cuts some cartilage, gizzard, tripe, chopped into small bits and put in a bowl. The substance on the surface of the blood is brushed off, then some broth is mixed with blood and gently and quickly sprinkled on the dish.
Field mice may not be the first protein you think of to eat, but in Vietnam, they offer another choice when it comes to food. These mice live in the rice field and only eat rice so they are clean and fat. Farmers usually hunt and catch fat mice for food; the traps can be seen everywhere in the rice field during harvest time.
Mouse meat is white and tastes like chicken. A mice after quick processing will be cooked in many dishes from simple to sophisticated. There are hundreds of ways to cook the rats; some include sliced mouse with chili and coconut milk, fried minced mouse with lemon leaves or grilled sandwiched mouse. Bon appetit!
