Vinh Phuc specialty, in the highlands 80km from Hanoi, has a dish of raw beef with ants. Raw beef with ants?

Raw beef with ants is a unique and strange specialty of the Tam Dao highlands - now one of the specialties of Vinh Phuc , but nowadays people rarely prepare it in their daily meals.

Some restaurants and hotels have restored and promoted this unique traditional dish to serve diners, contributing to the richness of Vinh Phuc cuisine , attracting tourists to the highlands and Tam Dao tourist area.

Raw beef with ants is a dish that bears the culinary culture of Tam Dao people. The preparation of raw beef with ants is quite elaborate.

The hot beef that was just slaughtered was hung next to ant nests on forest trees to attract the ants to sting.

Many people take painstaking care to hang beef on different trees, because each species of ant will create a unique flavor for the dish.

Then, the beef is brought home, rinsed with diluted salt water to remove dirt, drained and grilled over hot coals until rare.

When eating, the beef is cut into small pieces, served with herbs such as Vietnamese coriander, herbs, sour star fruit, green banana, dipped in soy sauce made from corn and soybeans, mixed with a little sugar and shredded ginger for flavor.

Chef of Thien Cam restaurant (Hop Chau town, Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province) prepares raw beef with ants to serve tourists. Photo: Kim Ly.

In 2022, the Vietnam Record Organization - Vietnam Record Association recognized Vinh Phuc's ant-bitten beef in the Top 100 Vietnamese specialties.

This has affirmed the special value of the ant-burning beef dish, contributing to promoting the local traditional cuisine to a wide range of people and tourists.

Although it is a delicious and unique dish, nowadays, people rarely prepare raw beef with ants in their daily meals because the preparation is quite elaborate and time-consuming.

To restore this unique traditional cuisine, some restaurants in Tam Dao district have added the dish to their menus. In 2023, Thien Cam restaurant, Hop Chau town (Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province) added the ant-bitten beef dish to its menu.

After a while, the dish received positive feedback from diners. Many tourists traveling to Tam Dao came to the restaurant to enjoy this delicious, unique dish.

Many tourists want to buy it as a gift for their relatives and friends. Therefore, the restaurant has produced the ant-bitten beef dish, packaged the product and put it on the market for consumption.

The ant-bitten beef dish is prepared and packaged by Thien Cam restaurant (Hop Chau town, Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province) to serve the consumption needs of tourists. Now, the ant-bitten beef dish is one of Vinh Phuc specialties. Photo: Kim Ly.

Ms. Quynh Anh, owner of Thien Cam restaurant, said: "On average, the restaurant produces and distributes 200 - 300 kg of ant-bitten beef products each month. The restaurant has improved the way it prepares ant-bitten beef to suit production conditions, while still ensuring the dish's inherent characteristic flavor.

The raw materials for processing the ant-burning beef dish are carefully selected, not using beef raised with growth-promoting feed. This is the key factor to create a quality ant-burning beef dish, ensuring the freshness of the product.

To prepare the ant-bitten beef dish, the restaurant cuts the beef into pieces the size of a hand, 1 - 2 cm thick, marinates it with spices, then dries it in the sun until the surface of the meat is firm, then grills the meat over hot coals; when grilling the meat, quickly turn it evenly so that the outside of the meat does not burn, and the inside is cooked just right.

The ant-burning beef dish is served with herbs and ant salt (a type of salt made from ants), creating a unique flavor for the dish.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Thao (Hanoi) and her family just had a vacation in Tam Dao town. This was her first time coming to Tam Dao, and also the first time she enjoyed the specialty dish of raw beef with ants.

Ms. Thao said: “For me, cuisine is the most important factor to create a perfect trip. Therefore, before the trip, I went on social networking sites to learn about specialties in Vinh Phuc and was especially impressed with the ant-bitten beef dish. I contacted Thien Cam restaurant to order in advance.

When we arrived, the restaurant served very enthusiastically. The Tam Dao specialty of raw beef with ants was presented attractively. Before enjoying, the restaurant staff introduced us to this specialty, especially how to prepare and enjoy the dish.

The dish has a very unique sweet and fragrant taste, just one bite and you will remember it forever. I bought the restaurant's prepackaged ant-burning beef to bring back as gifts for friends and relatives."

The ant-bitten beef dish is often served with Tam Dao's specialty "chit" wine - a type of wine soaked from "chit" worms.

In the cool air of Tam Dao mountains and forests, sipping a glass of wine with a hot piece of grilled ant beef will give visitors a particularly impressive experience. If you have the opportunity to visit Tam Dao, you should not miss this unique and delicious specialty of Vinh Phuc.

Source: https://danviet.vn/dac-san-vinh-phuc-o-vung-nui-cao-cach-ha-noi-80km-co-mon-bo-tai-kien-dot-da-bo-tai-con-kien-dot-20250115183239425.htm