Ant egg hunting season

The first heavy rains of the season falling on the forests of Bay Nui mark the beginning of the ant egg hunting journey for the Khmer people. For a long time, ant eggs have been considered a unique delicacy of the people in the mountainous region.

Khmer people collect ant eggs.

A strenuous trek through the forest.

At dawn, arriving early in the Bay Nui region, we easily encountered locals searching for ant eggs. In the summer, children and their parents roam through the forests, searching for ant nests. Every year during the rainy season, the cool mountain air brings new growth and blossoming trees. Countless forest creatures thrive, including ants that seek secluded, cool places to build their nests and lay their eggs. Understanding this characteristic, the Khmer people equip themselves with tools to trek through the forests and mountains to find ant eggs. Having the opportunity to go with Mr. Chau Da to collect ant eggs, I truly appreciated the fascinating nature of this unique profession.

His only tools are a long bamboo pole with a plastic basket hanging from the top to collect ant eggs. Every day, Chau Da and his relatives travel through the sparsely populated mountain ranges to find ant nests. Chau Da says that in the old days, the Bay Nui area was still wild and had many yellow ants nesting there. However, in recent years, many mango orchards have used fertilizers and pesticides, so the ants have to find higher places in the mountains to build their nests. To harvest a lot of ant eggs, they have to travel dozens of kilometers to find their nests. The ants that Chau Da collects eggs from for food are mainly yellow ants.

Mr. Chau Da recounted that in the past, during the rainy season, anyone wanting to eat yellow ant eggs only needed to go to their backyard, gently poke a bamboo stick into the nest, and countless eggs would fall into the basket. However, in recent years, yellow ant nests have become scarce. According to Mr. Chau Da, the areas with the most yellow ant nests are the less-visited mountain peaks. Now, these ants are very cunning, due to being hunted for their eggs by many people. While chatting with us, he raised a bamboo stick high above a golden wattle tree and gently shook the ant nest. The yellow ants were startled and crawled out, covering the basket. Many quickly ran along the bamboo stick, crawling onto Mr. Chau Da and biting him dozens of times. In pain from the bites, Mr. Chau Da quickly brushed them off repeatedly...

Stir-fried ant eggs with onions

Expensive specialty dishes

We were nearby and were also bitten all over by a swarm of yellow ants whose nest had been disturbed. It was very painful. To escape the ants, I had to run far away from their nest. Yellow ants are very cunning; after biting, they cling to your body. The only way to get rid of their sharp pincers is to brush them off yourself. Because once they bite, they cling on and won't let go of anyone. In the past, mango growers used to rub wood ash all over their bodies before harvesting. Because the ash has a slightly salty taste, the ants would smell it and fall off. Seeing us grimacing, Chau Da and the children looked at us with smiles, as if teasing us. Chau Da said that he has been catching ants for over 20 years now, and it seems he's been bitten by yellow ants more often than he's eaten rice.

Having just finished collecting one nest of yellow ants, Mr. Chau Da quickly emptied the eggs into a bucket. Then, he walked a short distance, reaching up a tall tree with his bamboo stick to catch another nest of ant eggs. As soon as he finished, Mr. Chau Da pulled the net down, and the ants continued to bite his leg. He quickly stomped on the ground to make the ants fall off. Occasionally, I saw him wince from the ant bites. Only those who join the locals in collecting ant eggs for the first time can truly understand the hardship of this "profession." Anyone careless enough to stand near an ant hunter will be bitten as well. Seeing Mr. Chau Da getting bitten by ants, I burst out laughing.

Looking into the bucket, there are countless ant eggs. To keep the ant eggs fresh, the locals have a very simple method. They use salt water in the bucket to prevent the eggs from spoiling during the harvesting process. When the ant eggs are brought home, they are washed and sold at the market for 250,000 VND per kilogram. Through the hands of skilled cooks, the ant eggs are transformed into many famous and delicious dishes. Among them, three popular dishes are stir-fried ant eggs with pork belly, ant eggs braised with pickled mustard greens, and ant egg soup cooked with wild betel leaves.

Ms. Neang Nhay, one of the people who specializes in catching and processing ant eggs, says that for ant egg sour soup, you just need to boil water, then add the ant eggs and cook them with giang leaves and thinly sliced ​​banana blossoms to make a delicious dish with a rich flavor. Some places also prepare ant egg soup with duck hotpot, stir-fried ant eggs with onions, etc. Sipping each spoonful of hot ant egg soup, the tiny eggs, like grains of rice, burst with a popping sound. The rich, creamy taste of the ant eggs, the pungent sourness of the ant eggs, combined with the mild sourness of the giang leaves and the slightly astringent taste of the banana blossoms, creates a unique flavor that diners will find unforgettable.

During this season, if you travel along the rural roads in Bay Nui, you'll see Khmer people catching and selling ant eggs. People passing by immediately stop to buy them enthusiastically.

LUU MY

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/mua-san-trung-kien-a424018.html