The salad is called ant salad because to make the dish, it is necessary to mix ingredients with ants. The ants in the dish are those living and nesting on big trees in the forests. They mostly appear in summer, from March to August.

Mai Chau in Hoa Binh province attracts foreign and domestic travelers thanks to its impressive natural landscapes, original cultural characteristics and diverse and attractive food.

Visitors to Mai Chau must try specialties of Thai ethnic minority, such as com lam (bamboo-tube rice), ca do la du du (fish steamed with papaya leaf), banh oc (snail cake), xoi nep nuong (upland sticky steamed rice), ga nuong mac khen (grilled chicken with mac khen leaves), vit nuong ong lam (grilled duck in tube) oc nui (mountain snail), and ca suoi nuong Pa Pinh Top (Pa Pinh Top grilled stream fish)

Sour ant graded salad is a favorite dish for Thais, but it may be a challenge for travelers.

Trinh Phuc Man, the owner of a homestay in Xam Khoe commune, said he offers sour ant grated salad to clients at certain months of the year.

The words ant salad may give some people the creeps. However, some people order the dish because of curiosity and want to see how to process the salad.

“Many people, after some minutes of feeling creepy, compliment the salad, saying that it has a special flavor,” Man said.

A Thai cook in Xam Khoe said the ants used to make the salad taste a little sour. In order to find ant nests, people need to have experience about places where the ants live, and must be knowledgeable about forests and climbing trees.

After collecting ant nests, people remove the dry leaves, tree bark and impurities, and then dry the ants on a stove. After that, the ants are dipped in hot water for a while and roasted.

In addition to ants, which are a major ingredient, the salad also uses banana inflorescence and additional spices, including seasoning powder, garlic, chili, and lemon extract.

All the ingredients are mixed thoroughly with the aforementioned spices. After that, crushed roasted peanuts and herbs are added for flavor. This salad has a slightly sour taste.

Man said not all travelers can taste the dish, because ants are available only in certain months of the year.

In fact, ants are not only used in Mai Chau's salad. People in many regions also enjoy eating ants, considering them a gift from the gods.

Linh Trang