Meat dishes made by ants

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]If you were offered beef bitten by thousands of ants, would you have the courage to eat it? In the highlands of Vietnam, there is a dish called bokienjot that is made in an extremely unique way. Its preparation is astonishing. Fresh beef is intentionally thrown into a weaver ant nest. The ants then swarm the meat all at once and bite it, releasing an acidic liquid called formic acid in the process. And this is exactly the secret of this dish. Formic acid acts like a natural seasoning. It breaks down the proteins in the meat to tenderize it and adds a refreshing lemon-like acidity, creating a highly distinct flavor.