(Baonghean.vn)- Every year, around March and April, ant eggs are the most numerous and largest. This is also the peak season for hunting ant eggs as a specialty of the people of Western Nghe An.
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| Ant nests are usually located high in trees, so people often have to climb tree branches like this to find the nests and collect ant eggs. Photo: Dinh Tuan. |
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| According to the experience of Mr. Vang Van Dung in Cay Me village, Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong), to collect ant eggs, you must choose a sunny day. When the ant nest is taken down on a sunny day, the ants will quickly disperse, leaving only the ant eggs. If you collect them on a cloudy or rainy day, the ants will often stay still in the nest, making the job of collecting the ant eggs much more difficult. Photo: Dinh Tuan. |
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| For those who regularly collect ant eggs, they can tell at a glance whether the ant nest has many eggs or not. Any ant nest that is silvery black, has large ridges, has branches that tilt downward, and feels heavy when cut down is sure to have many eggs. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
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| Another trick to get the ants out of the nest quickly and get the eggs easily is that the hunter breaks a tree branch and drops it in for the ants to crawl up there. When there are many ants, he changes to another branch. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
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| Ms. Vi Thi Dung, resident of Cay Me village, Thach Giam commune, Tuong Duong said: After collecting ant eggs from the forest, people will sift out impurities before processing the dish. Photo: Dinh Tuan. |
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| Ms. Dung said, “At this time, people in the village go out to collect a lot of ant eggs, some bring them home to eat, some bring them home to sell. Currently, ant eggs are selling very well, as many as they bring home are sold. Each bowl of ant eggs (small bowl) costs 20-30 thousand VND.” |
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| In addition to ant eggs stir-fried with cucumber, ant eggs can also be used to make many other dishes such as: grilled wrapped in banana leaves, sour bamboo shoot soup, cooked in bamboo tubes... Photo: Dinh Tuan |
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| Ant eggs are not only popular with people in the mountains but also with people in the lowlands. When eating this dish, you can feel the ant eggs crackling in your mouth, giving off a gentle aroma and a sweet, fatty taste. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
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| In addition to eating ant eggs, people also bring them to the market to sell. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
Dinh Tuan
