Grasshoppers in Hanoi's My Duc District are proving a popular dish this year right in the middle of World Cup.

The residents in Le Thanh Commune have been gathering to collect and clean grasshoppers in the past days. There are two grasshopper seasons along with two harvest seasons. This year, a kilo of grasshoppers is sold for VND180,000 (USD8).

Many people immediately linked the sudden surge in prices to the on-going World Cup as grasshoppers are a unique dishes normally eaten with alcoholic beverages. There are dozens of households which specialise in collecting grasshoppers in Le Thanh. 

A trader said, "My household has sold 100 to 200kg of grasshoppers to restaurants in the past days. Even the number of grasshoppers in neighbouring communes can’t meet the demand so we have to order more from grasshoppers from central provinces."

After being caught, the grasshoppers will be boiled and then have their wings plucked. Grasshopper-wing pickers are usually children and elders. Each of them can earn VND60,000 (USD2.65) for picking 10kg of grasshoppers in the morning.

Dang Thi Cam said, "I work from 7 am until my share is done. Nothing hard, but it hurts my back. The elders are used to it but the children can't stay still for long."

According to the locals, this is a record year in terms of grasshopper sales.

Some photos of the people in Hanoi preparing grasshoppers dish:

Dtinews