Ms. Cu Thi Hai Phuong, a food trader in Hanoi, said that she has been selling bamboo worms for three years. This kind of worm is only available from September to October of the lunar calendar.
Every year, this is the time for bamboo worms to grow and get fat. People in the mountainous areas of Song Ma, Mai Son … (Son La province) often go to the forests to look for bamboo trees that show signs of withering tops and shrunken joints. When chopping down these bamboo trees, they can find groups of white bamboo worms inside.
Phuong said bamboo worms are specialties of Son La. They are white in color, and the body is as big as the head of chopsticks. Bamboo worms can be processed into various dishes. The most popular dishes are roasted bamboo worms with lemon leaves and banana flower salad. The worms are delicious and fatty.
“Bamboo worms are exploited completely naturally in the bamboo forests in Son La. They are not cultivated products, so they are very clean. But the price of this worm is relatively expensive. 1 kg of frozen bamboo worms is priced at VND550,000, and fresh products at VND600,000,” she said.
Both frozen or fresh worms must be ordered 1-2 days in advance. Last week, Phuong sold up to 130kg of bamboo worms.
Chau Giang