Palm worms - A rare and hard-to-find specialty of the Ancestral Land

Palm trees are a familiar plant in the lives of Phu Tho people. From palm trees, people can prepare rustic dishes that are rich in flavor. One of them is a unique and strange dish, typical of the midland region that diners have to wait many days to eat, which is palm pupae or palm worms.

To make a dish from palm weevils, one must go through many meticulous steps from the beginning of raising the fat weevils to the processing. The process of raising palm weevils is very time-consuming. When the palm tree is cut down, the top part must be cut off, then left for 15 to 30 days. During this time, there will be worms that eat into the palm top and lay pupae.

Palm grubs have skin that turns yellow-white and are plump, which means they are at their best.

During the month they live there, their food will be the core and the young shoots in the palm trunk. The pupae will gradually grow larger, but if not harvested at the right time, they will grow old and fly away. Therefore, the best time to harvest palm weevils is when they are still young and not yet old. When the silkworms that have eaten the young shoots become fat, their skin turns yellow-white, and each one has a plump body, then they are at their most delicious.

If not, many people can also choose to go into the forest to find dead palm trees to hunt for worms inside the trunk. Just find a dry, rotten palm trunk for about 1-2 months, and from inside the rotten trunk core, you can find pure white pupae. When the worms are as big as the tip of your index finger, people split the palm trunk and catch the plump, plump worms, wash them, put them in a pan and stir-fry until golden brown, then sprinkle with chopped lemon leaves to have a dish that is both delicious and nutritious.

Palm worms are not a popular food. It is even quite difficult to find and buy. If you want to enjoy this dish, you have to ask the locals to search for it for a long time. The quantity that can be purchased is also limited because palm trees are not grown as much as before. Therefore, the price of palm worms is currently quite high, fluctuating around 300,000 VND/kg.

Stir-fried palm worms served with lemon leaves and chili is a rare specialty of the Ancestral Land.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh in Du hamlet, Xuan Son commune, Tan Son district has many years of experience in exploiting palm worms. According to Ms. Oanh, a 7m tall palm tree in the forest waiting to rot can be exploited to produce about 1kg of palm worms. Palm worms are becoming increasingly difficult to find and are not always available. Ms. Oanh is currently the contact point for many diners who know and love the palm worm specialty. Once they find delicious palm worms, customers will immediately contact them to buy them.

Currently, the villagers continue to introduce this specialty to tourists visiting the locality. Palm worms are a rare and hard-to-find specialty, and can be stir-fried, grilled, or dipped in salt and chili... all delicious and attractive to tourists - Ms. Oanh said.

Mr. Nguyen The Anh ( Hanoi ) shared after enjoying stir-fried palm worms: Palm worms have a slightly different taste compared to coconut worms. Palm worms are more fragrant and have a rich, fatty taste, and the sweetness in the mouth is longer lasting than coconut worms. Palm worms eaten with a bit of lemon leaves will achieve a delicious and unforgettable flavor.