Strange village 'addicted' to eating rats, children and women love it

This dish gradually became a "specialty" in the village, from children to the elderly, women are all "addicted".

According to the "experts" in the village, there are many ways.mouse: Setting traps, digging holes, pouring water into holes, training dogs to hunt mice, using nets to catch mice...

From the beginning of the village, people were burning rats, the smoke billowing.

Rat meat dishes gradually became popular, diners from everywhere came to Canh Nau village to enjoy this "specialty", so villagers rushed to the fields to "hunt" rats.

Nowadays, Canh Nau villagers mainly use traps and flashlights to catch fish at night, this method is more productive and saves time.

Mr. Do Huu Lai (village 2, Canh Nau), one of the long-time field mouse hunters, shared: “The mouse catching season usually lasts from September to December (lunar calendar) every year, which is the time during and after the rice harvest. At this time, field mice eat a lot of rice and become fat. This is also the time when mice reproduce, so the number of mice is large.”

People said that in February, March and April, mice are scarcer and thinner. Only 3-4kg can be caught each day, and diners must order in advance. During this time, mice are "available" and can be eaten whenever they want.

To earn a high income, Mr. Lai has to travel to neighboring districts such as Phuc Tho, Hoai Duc, and even Vinh Phuc province to set traps: "During the mouse season, every night I carry a trap to catch mice, setting about 100 traps each day, catching an average of 15kg."

Ms. Do Thi Ly (Mr. Lai's wife) sells rats all year round at Canh Nau market. She shared: "I got married at 17 and have been selling rats ever since, almost 30 years now. In the past, when there were few people to eat them, we only sold rats that we caught ourselves. Now, I buy live rats from villagers to butcher and sell at the market for profit."

Mrs. Ly also wholesales mice to pubs.

Field mice weigh about 150 grams to 300 grams, have long black fur, big ears, and make a squeaking sound.

Cleaned and roasted field mice cost from 120,000 - 150,000 VND/kg.

Mrs. Ly bragged while selling mice: “On my best day, I sold 60kg of roasted mice. In addition to selling live mice, many customers request that they be cooked or marinated in spices, which I also serve.”

This year there are fewer rats, and people say the reason is because more and more people are catching them and agricultural land is shrinking.

Field mouse after cleaning white fur.

After the back is done, flip it over to finish the belly.

Mr. Nguyen Luong Thang (village 4, Canh Nau), a famous rat hunter in the village, advised: "Do not burn the rat for too long because the skin will crack, it will not look attractive and will be very difficult to sell."

Dorat meatIt is also a painstaking process. After catching the mouse, it is blanched in boiling water at 70 degrees Celsius, then cleaned of fur, then left to dry before being grilled with straw. Light the fire, fan continuously to make the fire grow bigger, grill the back first, then turn it over and grill the belly until golden brown.

Processing dishes from rats is a secret of each region. Different from rats in Giong village (Hai Duong), rats in Dinh Bang (Bac Ninh), in Canh Nau, field rats are processed into dishes such as: boiled, steamed with lemongrass, cooked with fake dog meat, stir-fried with lemongrass and chili..., but the most popular is fake dog meat or some localities also call it plum dish.

The golden mice are ready to be served.

Rat meat shops are crowded with customers.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoi, a rat vendor at Canh Nau market for nearly ten years, confided: "Today, my shop has little stock, only over 20kg but customers have almost ordered all of them. There are about 3kg left, and when I bring them to the afternoon market, they will be gone in a flash. There was a peak day when I sold 70kg of roasted rats."

Rat meat is often compared to dog or cat meat, but softer and tastier.

For “drinkers”, stir-fried rat meat with lemongrass and chili is the number 1 priority. After marinating with lemongrass, chili, and spices, the meat is stir-fried in a pan of fragrant fried onion fat. The aroma of lemongrass and the spiciness of chili blend with the fatty taste of rat meat, eaten while still hot, perhaps no other dish can compare.

“No lie, rat meat is always the first dish on my family's dinner table, everyone in my family is addicted to this dish,” Ms. Thuy (village 4, Canh Nau) said with a laugh.

Mr. Tien Toi (village 3, Canh Nau) humorously shared: "The golden-brown grilled rat meat, cooked with fake dog meat, is unquestionable, adding herbs to eat with it, no delicacy can compare."