The market that only sells grasshoppers in Nghe An, priced at half a million per kilo, is still 'in demand'
(Baonghean.vn) - For more than 10 years, at the intersection of Hamlet 11, Nghi Kim Commune (Vinh City), there has been a market specializing in selling grasshoppers - a specialty that locals call "flying shrimp" that attracts many customers to buy and sell. This year, grasshoppers have a good harvest, are plump and firm, and their prices range from 120,000 - 500,000 VND/kg.
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| From around 5am, many "brokers" who specialize in collecting grasshoppers from Ha Tinh, Nghia Dan, Do Luong, Tan Ky, Quy Hop, Nghi Loc... were present here to import goods for "traders". The market only opens from 5am to 8am every day. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| This “flying shrimp specialty” market is only open from around June to August of the lunar calendar, the season for grasshopper hunting. This is the time when the green grasshoppers are at their fattest, their meat has no fishy smell, and is rich, delicious, and fatty. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| Grasshoppers are sold wholesale to traders who buy and import them to the provinces, shops, hotels and retail to local people. At peak times, the amount of grasshoppers consumed at the market can reach up to a ton a day. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| This year, grasshoppers are quite abundant in both variety and quantity. Ms. Dau Thi Phuong, a trader who specializes in collecting grasshoppers for wholesale at the market, said: “Cyclists are purchased from many different regions, depending on customer orders. Grasshoppers are mainly purchased in Nghia Dan and Quy Hop; bamboo grasshoppers are abundant in Do Luong and Tan Ky; mirror grasshoppers and green grasshoppers are purchased in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh; young grasshoppers are purchased in Nghi Loc, Dien Chau and Quynh Luu. Each type has a different price, ranging from 120,000 to 500,000 VND/kg. Of which, the most expensive is the egg grasshopper, the one as big as a thumb, with the highest price of about 450,000 to 500,000 VND, but it is not always available.” Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| Ms. Tran Thi Lieu, a "wholesaler" who buys and sells grasshoppers in Nghi Kim commune, said: Having been in this profession for more than 10 years, almost every grasshopper season she is present at the market from early morning, buying grasshoppers from everywhere and selling wholesale and retail to customers. Every day, she alone consumes about 300kg of grasshoppers, earning millions of dong. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| In addition, at the market, there is also a grasshopper processing service for customers in need. The plump grasshoppers have their wings and legs removed and their intestines removed. When finished, the grasshoppers are soaked in salt water for 3-4 minutes, then taken out and washed with clean water. The cost of cleaning 1kg of grasshoppers is 30,000-50,000 VND. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| Grasshoppers have now become a specialty in restaurants and bars, with high prices while fields are shrinking and wild grasshoppers are becoming increasingly scarce. In many places, people have hatched eggs and raised grasshoppers to supply the market. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
