These are some of the more interesting things I have seen but not tried. Has anyone tried them – what did you think? Any other risqué foods that deserve a mention?
Also a few times in my trip in Laos I have seen people with forest animals tied up on the side of the road in remote places (obviously illegal). A few times, different drivers have stopped and bought these animals (and birds). The ugliest of all of these was a huge overgrown mole (about 40cm long) that had huge teeth, huge front claws and no eyes (obviously evolved for life underground). Today we saw what looked like an overgrown squirrel and a number of rainforest birds (some dead) that people had for sale on the side of the road. Are these birds an animals going to a zoo, museum or the dinner table?
Lots of these "risque" foods are available, and quite tasty. I personally find rat (marinated, of course!) a reasonable dish....although minced snake is just too crunchy with far too many bones.
Some of best places to try a whole range of "risque" foods would be:
Hanoi: Highway 4
Saigon: Bo Tung Xeo (31 Ly Tu Trong) - also known as "Restaurant 31" by some.
As for the wildlife on the street - even in Saigon you will often see strange, and not-so-strange, animals for sale on the street corners in cages. Most of these for sale in the cities are caught in the countryside and brought to the city to sell for pets - but suspect that some of them may make there way into the food chain. I also believe that the restaurants selling the more exotic animals have their own suppliers for these.
The trade in wild animals for both the table and as pets has been illegal for years here in Vietnam, I suggest you stay away from "delicacies" like that; natife wildlife is disappearing at an alarming rate.
This obviously does not apply to rats; as most snakes in Vietnam have been wiped out, the critters have become quite a pest.
"I've eaten frog many times in Asia. Chinese menus refer to it as "field chicken" and itdes have a vague chicken taste but sweeter and more oily. I haven't eaten bat or rat (knowingly) but I did try squirrel in Vietnam, I imagine it would be much the same.
I've tried any number of other tasty morsels, spiders, dragonflies, bees, various testicles, feet, tongues an ears. It's all part of the experience for me. Hanno's concern about the disappearing wildlife is well woth considering. Exercise judgement.
WeiLong in Laos
The overgrown rat the OP described was almost certainly a "bamboo rat" - living amongst roots of bamboo clumps and feeding on bamboo roots and tubers.
No link, sorry. If you keep reading you can see why people eat snakes, rats, etc. I choose not to eat any wild animals except insects, it might well be that I am depriving someon else of supper or make it harder for them to find. There's also the issue of harming the number of species, even bamboo rats are a wild animal. Probably people selling animals on the side of the road are desperate for cash money, otherwise they would eat the animal rather than sell it. Better to help by buying handicrafts, or buying lots of regular food.
Study: chronic malnutrition in Laos requires attention
Vientiane Times, 7 Nov 2007
Despite the economic growth experienced in Laos over the past decade,
chronic malnutrition of children below five years remains high,
according to a new study released yesterday.
The study on food security and vulnerability, released yesterday by
the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the first of its
kind to be conducted in Laos, attempts to gain a better understanding
of the nature and extent of food insecurity in rural areas.
"We need to realise what it means that every second child in rural
Laos is chronically malnourished," said WFP Country Representative Ms
Christa Räder, during the report launch at the Settha Palace Hotel
yesterday.
"For some ethnic groups, the level of chronic malnutrition is even
higher. Children who experience this are in danger of not reaching
their full physical and mental potential, and cannot contribute fully
to the socio-economic development of the country."
The study shows that the low levels of fat consumption are of concern,
and wild animals, including fish, still make up the bulk of protein
and fat consumption.
Until alternative food sources are established, it is vital to
safeguard access to wild food sources, the study says.
"The new perspective that the study has provided is very useful for
the Ministry of Health in its development of the national nutrition
policy towards 2020," said the Director of the Health and Nutrition
Promotion Division of the Ministry of Health, Dr Bounthom Phengdy.
"It will also help us in the subsequent development of a strategy for
implementing the policy."
The study, WFP Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis,
shows that as many as two thirds of rural households are at risk of
becoming food insecure should one or more shocks affect the household.
In her statement, Ms Räder said most people in rural Laos , especially
in the uplands, still depend on natural resources for their
livelihoods. It is therefore important to use caution when making
changes to people's way of life - particularly their livelihoods - in
these vulnerable areas.
Rapid changes without adequate support may put vulnerable communities,
especially ethnic groups, at further risk of food insecurity, as they
are not able to substitute lost food sources with alternative ones.
Ms Räder also focused on the link between food insecurity and the
Millennium Development Goals, pointing out that without success in
addressing food insecurity and malnutrition, many of the other goals
would become difficult to achieve.
"I therefore appeal to the Lao government and the donor community to
give the highest priority to addressing child malnutrition in order to
contribute to national development," she said.
"The donor community should come forward with technical advice and
adequate funds for a comprehensive push, led by the government, in
addressing the multiple causes of food insecurity and child
malnutrition, and to give all Lao children the ability to contribute
to the country's development," Ms Räder continued.
Village-based pilot initiatives on nutrition education are currently
being developed by WFP Laos, with support from AusAID.
These pilots will be evaluated in collaboration with the Ministry of
Education, the Lao Women's Union and the Lao Front for National
Construction before scaling up, but more assistance from donors will
be needed.
To carry out the study, WFP trained 60 government staff members from
the provincial offices of the Ministries of Labour and Social Welfare,
Agriculture and Forestry, and Planning and Investment in sampling
techniques, anthropometric measurements of children and women, and
interview skills, enabling them to collect data from nearly 4,000
households.
The data collection took place during October and November last year.
The study was funded by the Citigroup Foundation and the European
Commission Humanitarian Aid Department.
Laotians eat all that stuff, because they like it - consequently, most of this jungle meat, incl. ants, larvae, warans, snakes aso. is delicious! - But as said before, you should stay away from many of the larger animals, as hunting for sale is prohibited of very good, above-mentioned reasons.Text
When I was in Cambodia I had rat and frog at the same sitting. A hotel employee had the night off and prepared both for some of his friends, they invited me to sit with them and try the food. The frog was great it was finely chopped in spicy green curry. The rat was grilled and tasted like old nasty chicken. I also had rat kabob in Phenom Penn when I realized what it was I then noticed people every where eating it. I think I had bat in Southern Thailand. If I remember right it also tasted like chicken but not as bad as rat.
If you are lucky enough to join locals during a night of eating out, tough it out and try just about everything rather than be rude.
don't know if have eaten bamboo rat before, friend (who has offered me dog meat before) was almost done scraping remnants of burnt fur off what he called 'nuu bpaa' (forest rat) by time i saw it, rodent teeth was only thing i could recognise. cooked in thick gravy with other unidentifiable stuff, no special taste to me.
in my country the frogs are sold live in tanks at food outlets, people usually order them (the 'tian ji'/'field chicken' #3 mentioned) to go with porridge. parents say they fed me lots when i was a toddler, but i can't stand how they are chopped up alive & don't eat them now.
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