A stinky, avoided insect has suddenly become an expensive delicacy.

In the memory of Tran Van Tuan (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi ), stink bugs are a type of stinky insect that everyone has to stay away from. But now, Tuan is the one who collects stink bugs and sells them to drinkers as a rare delicacy.

Mr. Tuan said that he had never known that stink bugs could be eaten. But one time when he visited a friend's house in Yen Bai , he was treated to fried stink bugs. " At first, I was a bit scared and didn't dare eat them because I thought they smelled bad. But when I saw that they were fried crispy and fragrant, I decided to try them. I didn't expect them to be so delicious ," he said.

Since then, every summer when he returns to his hometown in Phu Tho , Mr. Tuan learns how to catch stink bugs to make crispy fried stink bugs for his family to eat. Seeing that everyone likes it, Mr. Tuan decided to sell this strange type of snack to people in the city.

Stink bugs are a specialty that not everyone dares to try. (Photo: NVCC)

Mr. Tuan's first customers were drinking buddies near the area where he lived in Thanh Xuan district (Hanoi). After that, through introductions from friends, his customer base grew.

Every year around April, when longan and lychee flowers are in full bloom, it is the season of stink bugs. Thanks to his acquaintances in Yen Bai and Phu Tho, every day Mr. Tuan buys about 30kg to give to restaurants and pubs.

He sells stink bugs for 380,000 - 400,000 VND/kg, more expensive than good beef in supermarkets. However, about 30kg per day is still not enough for him to sell to restaurants, pubs and acquaintances who order.

“ Last year, stink bugs were expensive, so everyone rushed to catch them, so this year the yield is much lower. Each person can only catch about 0.5-1kg/day. The most I can collect is 20-30kg ,” said Mr. Tuan.

He said, to catch stink bugs, people often soak a piece of cloth in sour bamboo shoot juice, then wipe it on a bunch of longan, the stink bugs will fall to the ground, they use bamboo tongs to pick them up and put them in a bag.

After being caught, the stink bugs are soaked in water for 1-2 hours to remove all urine and odor, then drained and sold. Old stink bugs must be blanched in boiling water to avoid crushing and to remove odor before processing.

“ People go out and process it, bring it to me to buy and just divide it into bags, each bag contains 1kg, freeze it and send it to customers. All the pubs in Hanoi, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh buy it all. The big beer pubs order 50-70kg at a time, so my shop is always out of stock, ” he added.

Mr. Tran Van Tu (Ha Dong, Hanoi) said: " After trying the crispy fried stink bugs, I found that the stink bugs did not have a strong smell but were very fragrant, rich and delicious. Now every year I have to ask someone to buy them from Yen Bai and send them to Hanoi, but I cannot always buy them because this dish is quite rare ."

There are many different types of stink bugs that can be eaten, but the most delicious are the stink bugs that live on longan and lychee trees, especially the young ones (left). (Photo: NVCC)

This year, he bought 2kg of stink bugs for 380,000 VND/kg, including the 100,000 VND transportation fee, the total cost was 900,000 VND.

“ It’s more expensive than beef in the supermarket, but I still buy it. Beef is available all year round, but this season of young stink bugs is only 1-2 months. If you want to eat them, you have to order in advance. At a pub, a plate of stink bugs weighing about 200 grams costs 200,000 VND ,” said Mr. Tu.

Currently, along with ant eggs, stink bugs are being offered for sale on the online market. There are 3-4 different types of stink bugs. But according to Mr. Tu, lychee stink bugs (bugs that live on lychee and longan trees) are the most delicious.

Cong Hieu

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