Mountain snails, a specialty of the majestic Thien Cam Son, An Hao commune, Tinh Bien town, An Giang province.
Mr. Tran Van Binh (a mountain snail specialist) said: “Mountain snails mainly eat grass and medicinal plants on Cam Mountain, so they have a very delicious taste. People also say that eating them will make medicine. Therefore, from being a rustic dish, mountain snails have become a specialty sought after by many people. The current price is more than 300,000 VND/kg, but there is still not enough supply. Because the rains are late this year, snails only appear sporadically at the beginning of the season, so finding and catching them is more difficult.”
According to Mr. Binh, for gourmets, mountain snails should not be processed immediately but should be stored for a few days. Because this species lives in soil and sand, the storage process will help them release impurities.
After that, they soak the mountain snails in rice water mixed with chili to remove impurities again, then process them. Mountain snails can be processed into many dishes, but the best are boiled with lemongrass, boiled with fermented rice, boiled with Chuc leaves, stir-fried with garlic, stir-fried with satay... because the snails retain their natural delicious flavor.
As a person who specializes in collecting mountain snails to supply to customers, Mr. Le Gia Giang (living in An Hao commune) informed: “The amount of snails is not much at the moment, so I have to actively collect enough to deliver to customers. To ensure that the snails do not lose meat, people often pick mountain wormwood to feed them. Thanks to that, the mountain snails when they reach customers will still be plump and fresh. At this time, I only deliver to a few familiar customers, I do not have much to supply to customers from far away.”
Mountain snails - one of the specialties of the rainy season in Cam mountain, An Hao commune, Tinh Bien town, An Giang province.
Mr. Giang also shared that if they are close friends, the people on Cam Mountain can still spend a day catching a few dozen snails, to have a mountain specialty for you to taste. Mountain snails have the same smell as wild rice snails, the meat is tough and fatty, and through the hands of the chefs of the mountainous region, they will become extremely attractive, lingering in the memories of diners from far away.
“In the past, there were so many mountain snails that no one cared. Mostly on rainy days, people went to the garden to catch a bunch to enhance the taste of their meals, or sip a cup of rice wine to warm up on rainy days. When the people of Cam mountain made friends in the lowlands, they brought out mountain snails to entertain their guests and they were loved by them.
Gradually, mountain snails became a specialty, so people hunted them more, causing their numbers to gradually decrease. For those who often go to catch mountain snails, they will not catch small ones but wait until the following year's harvest season. This is also a way to preserve natural resources, giving tourists the opportunity to enjoy the specialties of the highlands in the future" - Mr. Giang said. Mr. Giang also revealed that not only Cam Mountain has mountain snails, but many places also have this animal.
However, snails on Cam Mountain, with their characteristic of eating grass and herbs, have a unique flavor compared to other places. He himself has also researched and learned that many traders of mountain snails from other places bring them back, mainly from Tay Ninh and Binh Phuoc provinces. Experienced people will know that Cam Mountain snails have their own color and delicious flavor compared to their relatives from other places.
“Normally, visitors come to Cam Mountain for pilgrimage in the dry season, so they cannot explore all the specialties of this place. Meanwhile, the rainy season is the time when the specialties of the highlands are in full bloom. Therefore, if you want to fully experience the beauty and appeal of Thien Cam Son, come here in the rainy season, to watch the clouds drifting over the mountain slopes, feel the cold of the mountains and forests and enjoy a plate of fragrant mountain snails,” Mr. Le Gia Giang revealed.
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