In your country, mouse meat and snake wine seem to be a terrible food and drink that you may not taste.
Drinking snake wine
Vietnamese snake wine is a liqueur made by putting a whole snake in a bottle or jar of rice wine or other grain alcohol. Then let it sit for several months and sometimes add herbs and spices in the process, for flavor or to mask bad smells. In some cases, other animals are also added, such as scorpions, insects, lizards or even small birds. All these animals were said to have medicinal properties.
Draining the snake’s blood. Credit: wanderingwheatleys.com
Some people think that the snakes have medicinal properties and drinking snake wine could, among other things, cure certain diseases, prevent hair loss and improve sexual performance. However, this has never been proven and is mainly used to convince buyers, reports localvietnam.com.
Many travelers want to buy Vietnamese snake wine as a souvenir to take home. Keep in mind that importing snake wine is not legal in all countries, as some snakes are on the endangered species list. It is best to check this beforehand, to avoid problems.
There is also controversy surrounding the purchase of snake wine, in relation to animal cruelty, and that is completely understandable. However, it is still an aspect of Vietnamese culture as Vietnam is a developing country with some superstitions here and there.
Drink snake wine. Photo: Jonny Wiles
According to the localvietnam.com, this liqueur is served in street markets, bars and even airports. A popular place for travelers to buy it is at Ben Than Market in Ho Chi Minh City. The price for snake wine is between USD 20 and USD 180, depending on the size, type of bottle and type of snake.
Mice are a popular food in Vietnam
In your country, mouse meat seems to be a terrible meat that you may not eat. However, people in the southern provinces of Phu Yen and Dong Thap of Vietnam consider it one of the delicious dishes there. In recent years, some visitors call it one of the best Vietnamese food. When you visit Vietnam and want to discover food in the country, with the strangest dishes in Vietnam, make sure you know not to skip this dish.
Only mice that live in rice fields and eat rice during the harvest season are edible. Chubby mouse with sweet-tasty and smelling flesh is a perfect ingredient for Fried Mouse with Lemongrass and Chili Pepper, Grilled Mouse, Boiled Mouse with Lime Leaf, Roasted Mouse, Roasted Mouse with Salt, Braised Mouse with Coconut Milk, Grilled Mouse with Fermented Tofu, Stir-fried Mouse with creek premna, etc..
In rice harvest season, local people gather to hunt mice. They use nets or make fires from rice straws to catch the mice.
The mice are prepared (intestines, skin, claws are removed), marinated for 15 minutes with herbs, and then hung from the top of a terracotta pot with special hangers. The number of mice that can be grilled at the same time depends on the size of the pot. They make a fire in the pot to grill these mice for 1 hour. The cook must continuously coat the mice with fat/oil, spices, change the side of the mice while grilling.
Photo by IAN TEH
The grilled mouse is served hot with a mixture of salt, ground pepper, lime juice, vegetables including green banana, tomato, cucumber and Vietnamese mint. The mouse is crispy outside and soft, a little chewy inside. Some visitors may not even recognize that it is made of “scary mouse”. The dish is so delicious that they call it “country venison”.
While most wild mice in Vietnam are healthy and low in parasites, there are some potential health problems with handling them before cooking.
Photo by IAN TEH
The mammals contribute more than 60 diseases that can affect humans. In places where mice are pests, especially in Vietnamese rice paddies, farmers will spread mouse poison, slow-acting anticoagulants that take up to five days to kill their victims.
The fear of ingesting mouse poison is why many Vietnamese prefer to buy live mice at local markets, where they can determine for themselves whether the animal looks healthy. In most cases, cooking the meat thoroughly is the best way to avoid contamination with a mouse-borne disease.
Compiled by employees of Vietnam Insider
