Termite mushroom, a "heaven-sent" specialty in Dong Nai, is something that everyone says is expensive but still spends money to buy.

In Dong Nai , termite mushrooms are a natural specialty that only appear during the two or three months of the rainy season, usually from the 5th to the 8th lunar month.

Termite mushroom production is increasingly scarce, so the price of 1kg of termite mushroom on the market today is up to millions.

Natural termite mushroom specialties are sold at the Long Khanh Fruit Festival 2024. Photo: B.Nguyen

The formation and growth of termite fungus depends on saliva secreted by worker termites and spread in the soil.

This unique mushroom only grows in the natural environment so it is very nutritious and has many health benefits.

Therefore, consumers are willing to pay high prices to enjoy this "expensive but worth it" specialty.

Specialties are increasingly scarce

This year, the drought lasted for a long time, the rainy season came later than usual, so the termite mushroom season also started later. Mr. Nguyen Van Den, a termite mushroom hunter in Xuan Loc district (Dong Nai province) shared that for the past few weeks, he has been to many places but still has not found termite mushrooms.

Termite mushrooms only grow in natural environments, so they are becoming increasingly rare and hard to find because there is almost no more wild land left.

Land used for agricultural exploitation, even rubber plantation land and planted forests today are also heavily affected by chemical fertilizers and pesticides, so they are no longer a favorable environment for termite fungi to grow.

It's the beginning of the season so good termite mushrooms cost from 800,000 VND to 1 million VND/kg, blooming termite mushrooms are cheaper from 400,000-600,000 VND/kg.

When the source of termite mushrooms is more abundant, the selling price may be lower than at the beginning of the season, ranging from 500-700 thousand VND/kg for bud mushrooms, blooming mushrooms range from 200-400 thousand VND/kg.

Many years ago, when termite mushrooms were abundant, this specialty was often sold on sidewalks and roadsides of many roads in the countryside at quite "soft" prices.

When termite mushrooms are in full bloom, buyers only need to pay over 100,000 VND to buy 1kg of delicious termite mushrooms.

Long Khanh City is known as an area with many establishments purchasing and trading termite mushrooms from many different provinces and cities with an abundant supply known to customers everywhere.

During the season, along Hung Vuong Street near Long Tho Pagoda and along the small market area of ​​Xuan Thanh Ward in Long Khanh City, there are many sidewalk termite mushroom vendors with affordable prices for consumers to choose from.

Nowadays, the quantity of natural termite mushrooms is gradually becoming scarce, the price of termite mushrooms is often high, sometimes up to a million VND/kg, so this specialty is no longer sold on the sidewalk like before.

Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, a termite mushroom trader in Long Khanh city, compared that a few years ago, his facility purchased on average several hundred kilograms of mushrooms per day.

But now, at most he can only collect 1-1.5 quintals a day. Previously, the source of termite mushrooms collected from Dong Nai was still abundant, but now the collection area has to be expanded to many other provinces and cities such as: Ba Ria - Vung Tau , Binh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong...

When mushrooms were abundant, this was a delicacy sold quite commonly in restaurants in many localities.

Mr. Binh added that in the past, restaurants were the customers who consumed termite mushrooms in large, stable quantities. But now, many restaurants no longer have termite mushrooms on their menus, and those that still sell them only order small quantities because the price of termite mushrooms has increased too much.

According to Mr. Huynh Huy Khiem, manager of Cay Dua restaurant (Bien Hoa city), for the past 2-3 weeks, the restaurant has added special dishes made from natural termite mushrooms to the menu.

But due to the scarce supply, it is not available every day. The current price of termite mushrooms is 3 times higher than 10 years ago, each year, this item increases from 10-15%.

Termite mushrooms are expensive but not available when needed. 10 years ago, restaurants could buy 50-70kg but now they can only buy 10-15kg/day and not every day so sometimes diners have to wait to enjoy this delicious dish.

The way to process termite mushrooms is often simple to keep the original quality and flavor of the delicious dish given by nature.

Delicious food does not need to be elaborate

Termite mushrooms are a gift from nature and only appear for a short time during the year, so diners are willing to pay a high price to enjoy them.

However, to sell at specialty prices, both the harvester and the seller must take meticulous care from the mushroom picking to preservation stages.

According to some places specializing in purchasing and trading termite mushrooms in Long Khanh city, termite mushrooms are expensive so they are quite picky about buyers.

Customers are mainly consumers in large urban areas. Accordingly, businesses selling this product mainly promote and sell termite mushrooms on social networking sites, and the products are delivered to customers nationwide.

According to mushroom pickers, termite mushrooms are found in many semi-mountainous and mountainous areas. They often grow in clumps, hidden under layers of rotten leaves and have no specific location, making them very difficult to find.

In particular, termite mushrooms usually bloom from 3-5 am, so termite mushroom hunters often have to go at night. Preserving mushrooms also has its own secrets, from meticulous selection to proper preservation to ensure the freshness of this natural gift.

Ms. Pham Thi Thao Vy, a specialist in purchasing and trading natural termite mushrooms in the Long Khanh market area, shared: “I used to love eating termite mushrooms, then I switched to business because I saw the high value of this rare specialty. People who like this specialty will enjoy it when it is in season and do not hesitate to buy it.”

According to Ms. Thao Vy, the termite mushroom business also requires accumulating experience to find the secret to preserving the mushrooms to keep them fresh and delicious. Termite mushrooms are also susceptible to worms, when the mushrooms rot, they are no longer fragrant and sweet, so you have to be meticulous from the initial selection stage.

Termite mushrooms also suffer from large losses, and their weight has already been lost after being opened in the box. Therefore, traders of this product have their own secrets in preservation to limit losses and especially to keep the mushrooms at their freshest when delivered to customers.

Mr. Huynh Huy Khiem (Bien Hoa city, Dong Nai province) commented that termite mushroom is a fresh and delicious ingredient with its own unique flavor, so the preparation method is very simple to keep the original quality and flavor of this natural delicacy.

The main delicious dishes made from termite mushrooms include: grilled termite mushrooms, stir-fried termite mushrooms with garlic, stir-fried with squash, stir-fried with betel leaves, porridge... The most important thing is to have fresh and delicious mushrooms. Therefore, the amount of mushrooms purchased is usually sold by the restaurant within 1-2 days to ensure the most complete flavor of the dish.

Source: https://danviet.vn/nam-moi-dac-san-troi-ban-o-dong-nai-la-thu-ai-cung-keu-dat-do-ma-van-bo-tien-mua-20241119234410239.htm