Barbecued Rat, Frog and Snake - Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Dish of the day: Barbecued Snake, Frog and Rat

Where it’s found: In the Mekong Delta, Vietnam; at specialized snake restaurants throughout Vietnam

Breaking it down: It is what it looks like – live snake is barbecued on the grill, then cut into pieces with large scissors and served alongside thai basil, a salty-lime sauce and chili peppers. 

Rat on the left; Frog on the right

BBQ snake

Live snake being placed on the grill

Today I had three “firsts”.  Today is a special post – a marriage of three different barbecued dishes – three unusual types of meat that I had never previously tried in my life.  Arriving on the island, we hadn’t anticipated trying any weird foods.  We figured we would just be observers as others took on the challenge.  However, smelling the BBQ made a group of us decide to split the dishes, sharing a smorgasbord of meats: barbecued rat, frog and snake.  Vietnam is well-known for its exotic meats and ingredients. “While in Vietnam”, eh?

So now, I know you’re anxiously awaiting my reaction to these three new foods...   

First our group tried the rat.  This was the meat we were all dreading the most.  With “happy water” on the ready to help us wash it down, we took our first bite.  Surprisingly, it was tender and reminded me of chicken.  And although there were much smaller bones, it did not have a rodent-like taste, whatever that might be.  In fact, I’ll be honest, I think overall I preferred its taste out of all three meats.  The thought of it though, is definitely the worst!

Next (after downing a couple of happy water shots, as the local Vietnamese man there liked to refer to them as!), we dug into the frog, which was Patrick’s favourite.  It was moist meat and crispy on the outside from being grilled.  I thought it was a bit fatty and didn’t have much meat on it, but that could just be the piece I chose. I would definitely give it another go.  If the French love them, it must deserve culinary recognition, right?

As for the snake, it was a completely different gastronomical experience.  Imagine chomping into something and feeling all the little organs, chewy unidentifiable bits and even tiny bones (that must come from something the snake ate, seeing as how they just have an exoskeleton)... Even though I can’t say that I enjoyed the texture, the flavours were in perfect balance.  The lime, salt, smoky barbequed flavour, spicy chili and fresh herb flavours complemented each other well. Can I get the same dish with some grilled fish, beef or veggies, please?

All in all, I’m proud of myself and happy that I gave these three exotic meats a try.  Bucket list X, X, X.

Day Two on the Mekong Delta was even more adventure-filled than the first day.  After waking up from our night at our Vietnamese home-stay (see the next blog post!) we got motorbikes to a nearby local market and walked around for half an hour, taking in the hustle and bustle of the morning.  Then the rest of our tour group who had opted for the hotel instead of a home stay met up with us at the docks, where we boarded and took off down the river towards a floating market.  There is nothing quite like seeing a Vietnamese floating market.  Boats milled around - small, large and every size in between.  Some only carried their produce, while others doubled as a small houseboat for families who use it to live and work.  The people of the Mekong Delta live on the water, be it on a boat or along the shores.  They drifted by, trying to sell us everything from coconut (which I bought and happily sipped throughout the morning) to watermelon, iced Vietnamese coffee and even pho noodle soup in bowls that you can keep.  Each boat has a large pole that they use to “advertise” the produce that they carry, thus you can see it from far away.  It’s still a mystery to me how they managed to hoist a watermelon up on a pole!

We stopped at floating docks as well and bought more fruit, then continued on to a rice paper-making centre, where we observed and learned the complex and time-consuming art of making rice paper (banh trang), which we then made into rice noodles and into fried and dried rice noodle pancakes.  Our boat then carried us along to our next destination... which brings us to my tripartite dish of the day: Barbecued rat, frog and snake!  Following this, we floated back to Can Tho, where we had some independent time to walk around the neighbourhood and I bought some fresh lotus seeds. A group of use decided to chill at a local eatery, enjoying beers and some stir-fry.  Finally, we buckled up and bussed home to Ho Chi Minh City.