Going to the border of Nghe An to hunt and prepare rhinoceros beetles

Holding a beetle flapping its wings and making a whistling sound, Mr. Dam Ngoc Van (Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son district) introduced: This is a rhinoceros beetle, also known as the horned ant, which is prepared as a dish when the house has distinguished guests. It is the largest beetle in this remote area. The adult is approximately 6cm long, the male has a reddish-brown body, the female is dark black.

Close-up of an adult male rhinoceros beetle. Photo: Thanh Quynh

The special thing about this beetle is the large horn that protrudes from the front of its chest and a lower horn that protrudes from its head. The horn is long, curved and hard like a rhinoceros horn, so they are called "rhinoceros beetles". The stronger the beetle, the bigger its horn. It is a sharp weapon used for self-defense, attacking enemies or attracting mates.

When the cicada season begins, people flock to hunt for adult rhinoceros beetles to process into a delicious snack.

Catching this beetle is not too difficult. If it is daytime, just patiently search the leaves and tree trunks to catch it. But if you catch it at night, it will be much more effective.

The rhinoceros beetle's favorite food is tree sap or rotting tree trunks and leaves. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Waiting until it was completely dark, Mr. Dam Ngoc Van took a cloth bag, lit a large oil lamp and walked out to the garden. "I have been working on the farm for a long time, growing many types of plants, but I see that this rhinoceros beetle "likes" the most is the cowpea plant. When the bean season is in full swing, they start to dig into the ground to eat and reproduce. Just need to light the lamp and sit and wait for about 30 minutes, they will automatically fly over, you just need to catch them and put them in the bag" - saying that, Mr. Van placed the oil lamp on a chair in the middle of the cowpea garden and retreated to the corner of the garden to wait.

After 30 minutes, the black beetles began to rush towards the lamp. Seeing my surprise, Mr. Van explained: “Beetles often use the moon or stars as a “compass” to navigate. When they see light, it means that the path is clear. They fly straight towards it to find food. So when they see the oil lamp, they just rush straight towards it.”

After nearly 3 hours, when the cloth bag started to get "heavy", he packed up the lights and went in: "There aren't many of these species, each time I catch only a few dozen at most. Just enough for a drinking party to entertain distinguished guests."

When summer comes, it's also the time when the "hunting" season for rhinoceros beetles begins. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Having said that, Mr. Van soaked the dung beetles in diluted salt water, washed them, then plucked off the wings, cut off the lower legs, and tore open the belly to remove the intestines. Next, he seasoned them with roasted "mac khen" (wild pepper) buds, salt, MSG, and chopped lemon leaves, then marinated them for about half an hour. When finished, he poured them into a pan of oil and simmered them, not forgetting to stir them evenly.

While inhaling the rich, fragrant aroma from the pan of food, Mr. Van split a large, round dung beetle in half to reveal the firm, white-yellow flesh. He said: “Remember not to use a high heat, otherwise it will have a slightly burnt smell. If you want to be more sophisticated, you can skewer it on bamboo sticks and grill it. It’s very satisfying to eat that way.”

The flesh of the dung beetle is delicious and golden brown when fried in a pan of oil. Photo: Thanh Quynh

While drinking, Mr. Van also said that rhinoceros beetles are also a valuable medicine for the people here. The village healers still use them to pound and make medicine to treat acne and constipation very effectively. People who have just recovered from illness or anemia, when eating this dish, will quickly recover their health because of its high nutritional content.

Another interesting thing about this special beetle is that many people "hunt" them to "keep as decorations" because of their fierce beauty. Many people in the village have earned a decent amount of money by selling each pair of rhinoceros beetles for more than 50 thousand VND. For connoisseurs, they also raise and train beetles to fight each other for entertainment. Thanks to their strong horns, when fighting, rhinoceros beetles often use their horns to lift up and knock out their opponents.

Dishes made from dung beetles make diners remember them forever after just one taste. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Enjoying and listening to the interesting story about this special beetle, diners from far away like us seem to understand better why the rhinoceros beetle is so closely associated with the culinary and spiritual culture of the people here./.