Attractive dish 'to tau' from wasp pupae of Thai people in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - 'Tó Tàu' is a dish made from wasp pupae of the Thai people. In Con Cuong district, Nghe An, this dish is popular with the people and this land has a large number of wasp nests.

There are 3 types of bee pupae commonly used to make 'to tau': wasps, ground bees and honey bees. However, the Thai people of Con Cuong still choose ground bees to make 'to tau'.

During the wasp nesting season, from mid-August to September, the Thai people in Con Cuong go into the forest together to find wasp pupae. Photo: Tuong Vi

Ground bees usually make their nests most often from June to September of the solar calendar year. They make their nests in two places: digging the ground to make nests and making nests on trees in areas with a lot of acacia trees. In Con Cuong district, communes such as Binh Chuan, Don Phuc, Cam Lam, Mau Duc, Thach Ngan, Bong Khe, Chau Khe... have many ground bees.

Mr. Vi Van Quang in Thanh Binh village, Thach Ngan commune said: "I often go with the young people in the village to collect bee pupae. During the day, if we discover a wasp nest, we cannot collect it right away, but wait until night to avoid being stung by the bees.

A beehive was taken by a local. Photo: Tuong Vi

A beehive usually has two doors (main door and side door). When taking the nest, you must identify those two doors. Next, a big fire is lit and smoke is poured into the nest to drive the bees away. There are large beehives with five floors, equivalent to 3 kg of bee pupae. Bee pupae are also sold at the markets of some villages for 60,000-100,000 VND/kg.

The beehive is heated before the pupae are collected. Photo: Tuong Vi

The process of making 'tò Tàu' is also very elaborate: After bringing the nest home, it must be heated over a fire to make the bee pupae firmer for easier removal. The pupae are then dipped in boiling water to make them tough. If washed in cold water, they will become mushy.

The soft bee pupae are easy to dissolve, so use chopsticks to stir gently and adjust the heat to medium. After about ten minutes, the pan of bee pupae will be steaming and smell fragrant, so quickly stir well.

The "to tau" dish after completion. Photo: Tuong Vi

To have the desired stir-fried pupae dish, you cannot miss the julienned lemon leaves, some herbs, some slices of wild chili, or stir-fried with pickled bamboo shoots, or made into salad. The dish must not be crushed, the pupae must retain their original shape; retain the aroma and fatty taste. This dish can be eaten with rice or grilled rice paper.

Tuong Vi