‘Royal Frog’ – A Specialty Reserved for Wealthy Guests Hard to Obtain at Mau Son

Travelers visiting Lang Son will hear tales of the prized specialty known as the ‘Royal Frog,’ a precious species inhabiting the mountains of Mau Son.

‘Royal Frog’ – A Specialty Reserved for Wealthy Guests Hard to Obtain at Mau Son

As the vehicles ascend from the lowlands to the mountains, field frogs are readily available for 70,000 VND per kilogram. However, seeking to purchase a few wild forest frogs may require a wait of up to a month, with luck yielding only 1-2. This is the reality at the tourist area of Mau Son, Lang Son.

The forest frogs here are often referred to by many tourists as ‘frog tycoons,’ ‘frog royalty,’ or ‘frog princesses.’ Meanwhile, the local Dao people commonly call them ‘Tong Keng,’ which in their ethnic language means large frog.

Considered a specialty of Lang Son, these forest frogs hold significant economic value. The local Dao people assert that the wild forest frog species has thrived and existed in the Mau Son region for over a thousand years.

At the dining table in Mau Son, when the plate of crispy frog legs is brought out, other delicacies like salmon, six-spur fowl, or smoked meat are set aside to make room for the prestigious position of the frog legs plate. Because the forest frog is the 'king' of Mau Son cuisine.

Forest frogs are priced 7-12 times higher than plain frogs from the lowlands. The characteristic to recognize forest frogs when hunting is their shiny black or black color, weighing about 200-300 grams each. The male frog has spikes on its lower neck. Many believe that's a crown tilted from the top down of this frog species. Just a gentle touch on the spikes, and the frog will retract its two front legs. The thighs of forest frogs are much larger than plain frogs and as big as chicken thighs.

The breeding season for forest frogs is around May-June every year. The only tool needed to catch frogs is a small net. During the day, they hide in rock crevices or burrows, and wherever there may be frogs, they dig. But if frog hunting is done at night, it's necessary to equip with a flashlight or torch for illumination,” a local Red Dao person said.

The most effective way is still to hunt frogs at night. At that time, frogs leave their rocky caves to forage, sitting on flat rocks or patches of soil, making croaky sounds. When illuminated, their eyes appear red. Forest frogs are docile; they don't jump when they see people, so all it takes is to grab them and put them in a bag.

Most interesting is wandering on rainy days with dishes prepared from forest frogs. The meat of forest frogs is just like its name, fragrant and not fishy like plain frogs. Red Dao people in Mau Son often combine various spices for cooking like crispy frog legs, sour bamboo shoot soup, hotpot, stir-fry with lemongrass and chili, or stew with Chinese herbs. Among them, forest frogs cooked with sour bamboo shoot soup is a particularly exquisite dish.

All products in Mau Son can be cultivated, bred, and developed to serve tourists, except for forest frogs. Many projects, financial resources, efforts, and intelligence have been focused on breeding and developing this frog species for decades but have not been successful. Currently, this effort is only limited to protecting and restricting hunting during their breeding season in the Mau Son mountain area.

As reported by Nguyen Minh Chuyen from Vnexpress

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Reference: Travel guide Mytour