During the rice snail season, young people are so fascinated that they eat it and get stuck to it.

Rice snails are sold on many streets in Da Nang - Photo: THANH THUY

These days, if you browse social networks or online marketplaces, you can easily see images of rice snails for sale. Although snail prices have increased, this is still a dish that many people seek out.

In Da Nang, on streets like Ong Ich Khiem, Le Van Hien... it is easy to find stalls selling rice snails with all kinds of snails, big and small. At Con market, the price of rice snails ranges from 60,000 - 80,000 VND/can, in some places up to 100,000 VND/can.

Rustic, rustic rice snails

According to Ms. Tran Thi Bich Thuy (47 years old, snail seller), in recent years, rice snails have become more popular. Every day, she can sell more than 100 cans of snails.

Although it seems complicated, rice snails are very simple to prepare. The snails must be soaked thoroughly to remove sand before cooking. Then, boil the snails with lemongrass, ginger, and a little salt to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

After being boiled, the snails are mixed with simple spices such as salt, fish sauce, MSG, lemongrass, etc. Ms. Thuy said that the highlight of her shop's rice snail dish lies in the ginger fish sauce.

"Every time a customer comes to buy, I reheat the snails, then mix in a little ginger fish sauce that I mix myself according to my own recipe. This type of fish sauce will help the snails become more flavorful and fragrant. To make the perfect rice snail, you must add chili powder, it's spicy to be delicious," said Ms. Thuy.

Simple preparation but rice snails are popular with many people

Not as luxurious as many other dishes, rice snails score points with diners for their rusticity and simplicity. The fatty taste of snails seems to bring people back to their childhood.

For Pham Thi Thu Hong (25 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City), rice snails are a simple dish that she often misses when thinking about her hometown cuisine .

"Born and raised in Quang Nam , I am very familiar with the taste of rice snails. When the season comes, my family and I often sit together to enjoy snails. Sometimes I really miss that feeling of gathering together.

Now that I work far from home, sometimes I crave that simple taste. In Saigon, I still see people selling it from time to time, but I don't find the snails as fresh and delicious as in my hometown," Thu Hong shared.

Once eaten, it is "stiff and sticky".

According to many people, rice snails are best eaten together, the more people there are, the more delicious this dish is. Therefore, rice snails often appear in conversations, "gatherings of five or seven" to chat and confide together.

At the embankment under Thuan Phuoc Bridge (Son Tra District) in the afternoon, it is not difficult to see groups of friends gathering, eating snails, and chatting together. For many young people, this is an effective way to entertain, relieve stress, and help strengthen friendships.

Rice snails have a sweet, fatty taste.

On weekends, Tran Thi Phuong Kieu (21 years old, living in Thanh Khe district) often brings rice snails with her friends to the foot of Thuan Phuoc bridge to eat, enjoy the cool breeze, and chat.

"Chewing snails while chatting with friends is a very interesting feeling. Once you chew a snail, it sticks to you and you can't get it off. You only stop when you run out of snails. The snails are small but have a terrible attraction. Sitting there makes my back hurt a bit, otherwise I can chew a few cans at a time," Phuong Kieu said.

Every few days, Nhu Quynh (33 years old, living in Hai Chau district) goes to the market to buy rice snails to eat. For Nhu Quynh, rice snails are a dish that she must enjoy when in season.

"During snail season, I go out to buy snails every few days. I like the feeling of eating snails while talking with people. Sitting together to eat snails like that, I can eat forever, even for hours," Nhu Quynh shared.

Ginger fish sauce - the spice that makes rice snails more delicious, "standard"

At the foot of Thuan Phuoc bridge (Son Tra district), there are often many young people gathering in groups to enjoy snail soup together.

Rice snails are as small as buttons and must be opened with lemon thorns.

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THANH THUY