Termites in Truong Son forest: A delicious dish of the great forest

Termite porridge of the Co Tu people

Young leaves sprout, streams babble, and clouds drift across the mountainside like smoke. At that time, in the villages of the Co Tu people along Dong Giang district, the season of hunting for "flying shrimp" - or winged termites - begins.

Termites - Truong Son flying shrimp

Calling it "flying shrimp" sounds both rustic and affectionate, because for people in the lowlands, winged termites are sometimes a nuisance during the rainy season, but for the Co Tu people, they are a precious gift from the forest.

Winged termites fly out after every afternoon rain, swarms of them flapping their wings shimmering in the sunset, flickering like mist. The Co Tu elders say that the year when there are many flying termites, that year the land is good, the crops are bountiful, and the children do not get sick.

I had the opportunity to follow old Bot - a Co Tu living in Ba commune, to catch termites at home on an evening in May. The rain had just stopped, the forest land still smelled of mold and rotten leaves.

Water basin and flashlight for hunting termites, termite processing and termite hunting basket

Gia Bot used a large basin filled with water, placed it in the middle of the yard, then placed a bright flashlight in the basin of water.

A moment later, swarms of termites began to fly in, attracted by the light and falling onto the water. At first there were a few, then dozens, then hundreds. They spun around, flapping their wings, like a small insect festival in the Truong Son night.

When he had gathered about two handfuls of termites, old man Bot told me: "These winged termites can be used to make clap padieng for you to enjoy."

Clap padieng is dry-roasted termites - a simple dish but famous for its richness and fat. When he got home, he lit the fire, put an old iron pan on it, then poured in the termites and roasted them over low heat. The termites crackled like roasted beans, and the aroma wafted up, strangely appealing.

A bowl of fragrant roasted grasshoppers

When the termite wings had all fallen off, leaving only the small, golden body, he took the pan off the stove, sprinkled some forest salt and offered it to me. I tried a piece - crispy, fatty, sweet and especially not fishy. A flavor that cannot be found in any restaurant.

Many other delicious dishes

Besides clap padieng, the Co Tu people also prepare many other dishes from winged termites. Fried termites marinated with lemongrass - when termites are lightly fried and mixed with crushed wild lemongrass, green chili and coarse salt, served with sticky rice or grilled rice paper.

Salted termites - crushed termites, mixed with salt and chili, put in bamboo tubes, hung on the kitchen rack for fragrance, used gradually during the rainy season. Or most special is termite porridge - clap p'cho - cooked with upland sticky rice or fresh cassava, fragrant, suitable for the elderly and children.

Termites marinated with lemongrass and salt

I also got to enjoy a special dish: termite pancakes. That is when lightly stir-fried termites are mixed with rice flour and water, then poured into a cast iron pan, covered and fried over low heat. The cake is golden brown, crispy on the edges, and the filling is surprisingly fatty and rich.

Eaten with wild vegetables, dipped in Siamese chili salt, in the sound of the rain falling outside the porch, you can fully feel the love of the Truong Son mountains and forests.

Not only a dish, winged termites are also a cultural story - a memory of many generations of Co Tu people. Children used to play and catch termites in the yard, now they are grown up, studying far away, but every time they come home during termite season, they ask their grandmothers and mothers to roast them for a full bowl.

Termite salad with collard greens

The elderly sip rice wine, chew on fragrant fried termites, and tell stories about the war, when termites were saviors during the years of famine. Thus, winged termites are not only the "flying shrimp" of the forest, but also a small symbol of the connection between humans - earth - sky.

Nowadays, when the Co Tu community tourism villages enter the winged termite season, they all have dishes made from winged termites and have become a specialty that attracts tourists.

Tourists from Da Nang , Hoi An, Hue or even international tourists are curious and excited to experience termite hunting, cooking termites and enjoying them in a traditional stilt house.

A meal with fried termites, sticky rice, rice wine, gong sounds, tung da da dance or tung tunmg - za za dance is an unforgettable experience.

Fried termites eaten with sticky rice is very delicious.

On the last afternoon in Dong Giang, I sat in a thatched stilt house in the middle of the Co Tu village, it was raining lightly, smoke from the kitchen spread. Outside, termites were flying again. The children were cheering and catching termites as if they were celebrating a season of forest blessings.

Gia Bot poured rice wine and said, "There aren't many winged termites, but if you know how to cherish nature, you'll find them every year." I nodded, suddenly feeling my heart calm amid the smoke from the kitchen and the clear laughter of the mountains and forests.

The "flying shrimp" hunting season - the season of small but meaningful things, continues quietly on the Truong Son mountain range, amidst the simple but profound life of the Co Tu people.

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VAN KY LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/moi-canh-rung-truong-son-mon-dai-ngan-ngon-nuc-no-20250512092739176.htm