It's a fact little known to most foodies that lots of Thai people LOVE to eat snake. Which is just as well, cos we have rather a lot of them in hot, tropical Thailand. Let's face it, it's a practical solution to an abundance challenge. 🐍
It's NOT something you see on Thai restaurant menus, that's for sure. But if you know where to ask at regional markets, there is ALWAYS some guy with a few big, juicy, live snakes in a box somewhere. They like to keep them alive rather than selling them dead. Improves the flavor, I've been informed.
It's also not commonly understood by foodies and Thai chefs, that a LOT of regional and rural people still don't have kitchens and cook outside on either an open fire or on what we call a BBQ in Thailand, but is basically a small concrete bucket arrangement designed for minimizing fuel and minimizing fire risk in villages where the houses are predominantly wood and bamboo.
For those who don't know me, I'm a 58 year old Dutch-Australian, living here in Northern Thailand, and raising a half-Thai daughter. Her Thai father (divorced 15 years) occasionally feels it necessary to show off the more shocking side of Thai culture, and thus it came about that I took my daughter to visit him in Chom Thong (between Chiang Mai and the rural area around Op Luang on the way to Hot) and we literally almost stepped on a large and very recently killed snake on his doorstep.
Yes, these ARE my own pics 😁 and this is how a traditional, rural Thai person would prepare a snake prior to popping it in the curry pot.
Step 1.
As recently dead as possible, coil the snake directly on to a small fire.
Step 2.
If the snakes is a big one, you will have to coil it a section at a time. You're really looking for that tough, outer leather to cook and split.
Step 3.
Remove the head and any poison glands. Strip off the charred skin with a sharp knife. No chopping board? A broken roof tile works too. 😆 Chop the snake into small sections and toss in the curry pot. Northern Thai curries are NOT coconut based, so you would pop the snake sections in some boiling water, and then add red onions, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, chili and a nice chunk of galangal.
Snake meat is tough, so it needs to burble for a few hours. In the village where traditional vegetables and greens are preferred, you might add some cha-om for the last few minutes of cooking.
Cha-om, botanically classified as Senegalia pennata, is an herbaceous tropical plant belonging to the Fabaceae family. The fast-growing shrub is native to Southeast Asia and can reach up to five meters in height, found along roadsides, in forests, and cultivated in home gardens. Cha-om is a productive plant that develops new leaf growth year-round, providing a steady source of tender greens for foragers. The plant is harvested for its young and tender leaves, and the dark green leaves are cooked and used as a favored vegetal flavoring. Cha-om is also botanically known under the scientific name Acacia pennata and has several common names, including Climbing Wattle, Khang, Stinky Leaf, Petai Duri, and Rau Thoi. The slender leaves have a pungent odor, especially when raw, and are most commonly cooked to reduce their smell and develop a pleasant, subtly crisp texture.
Cha-om is a good source of vitamin A to maintain healthy organ functioning, calcium and phosphorus to protect bones and teeth, vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, and iron to develop the protein hemoglobin to transport oxygen through the bloodstream. The herb also provides fiber to regulate the digestive tract and B vitamins to promote optimal cell functioning. In natural, eastern medicines, Cha-om is boiled and consumed to soothe digestive issues and stomach pain. Source
Take it off the fire, and then add lime juice, a little palm sugar, fish sauce and some freshly chopped coriander.
How does it taste? 🤣
Pretty good if you're hungry enough. 😜 LOTS of small bones, so it's something that needs time to eat, and a few hours to prepare.
Enjoy the foodie moments when they find you!
Prepared as part of The Weekend Engagement topic challenge: burning food and outdoor cooking.
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That's LOVELY feedback because yes, the goal WAS to post about something that provoked engagement and (hopefully) gave some enjoyment.
Never heard of Listnerds in my 4 years on Hive - off to check it out. Thank you!!
This is the first post that I saw about a snake curry, how do you identify the poison glands ? I wonder how those guys in market would keep those big, juicy, live snakes in a box !!! Would they not bite ?
The poison glands sit just below the head/jaw area, so that one's easy.
I learned during a major marital tiff one day involving a live snake needing to be transported in my airconditioned truck and my then toddler, that keeping the snakes very cool makes them docile and sluggish.
Personally I prefer a mushroom curry, but hey... if ever I HAVE to, I know how to prepare a snake. And many, many people in jungles and refugee camps in particular, do eat them cos there is little else.
Do people eat them in India? I'm Dutch originally and smoked eel is very normal.
Hi @artemislives
That's quite interesting. I have never eaten snake meat but would think that because they are essentially just one long muscle that the meat would be tough but probably quite tasty if cooked right.
I'm a bit of a snake advocate so I doubt I would eat one unless I'm in a situation where it's the only thing going, but now at least I have a recipe and some knowledge on how to do it if I need to.
Thanks for your submission, I always learn something from you 🙂
I'm mostly vegetarian-vegan too, but yes - if you're out in the jungle and there's not much else, it's OK. I actually wear a golden snake ring and have a resident Kukri snake named Serena living just next to my front porch, so we're basically agreed on that one!
Thank you for the very interesting post. I think I will pass on snakes for now 🤪
haha... yes, a lot of people say that. It's definitely something one needs to char on an outdoor fire though, so at least you now know how, in case the world goes to hell in a handbasket. 😊
I knew that this weekend over the food I would find exotic dishes, which have no bread at all.
I've never eaten snakes, the side of the world where I live, cows, chickens and pigs are more popular.
Those from Asia have a more refined palate, 😅 less meat and more drag. 😁🤗
Good content to open your mind to other cultures. Thanks and greetings. @artemislives
Snakes are NOT very exotic here - 🤣 they are EVERYwhere and one just gets used to it. It makes a lot more sense to eat them than to raise pigs and chickens in cages and terrible conditions, no?
Me? I mostly choose vegetarian, which I infinitely prefer. 😊
Of course, culture adapts to nature.
I like the concept of. Vegetarianism, for respecting the right to life of animals, I once tried it and it only lasted 5 months.
Oh my! I have never eaten snake meat before. I do not think I could taste such except if I was not told due to its meaning held here as dangerous. But it is funny to note that its preparation could be such a spicy one - adding curry to it. @artemislives I must confess it is worth noting for me.
Funny how we PERCEIVE snakes to be so dangerous, but actually mosquitoes and other small bugs kills FAR more people each year. world wide.
Spicy is always good - vegetables, spicy potatoes, whatever. 😁
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Oh come on! Where's your sense of adventure lol!
I came here from #Listnerds It's very cool to see a post like this on Hive
I have heard of people eating snakes before but I don't think I have ever seen the recipe to do so before this post.
Sounds like it's not the food for me but I can't seem to like bones very much. Especially those small bones.
Oh cool, I love thai curry, just short on snakes here in the UK :) I bet it tasted yummy!
I freely admit I don't like snakes. So, as good as this recipe maybe, it is not for me. Thanks for sharing.