In Vietnam, people eat dog.
Dogmeat is locally reared, eaten only at the close of the lunar month and is a modern-day expression of an historic rural and ethnic tradition of hunting for and eating wild dogs.
In other words, however ethically hard to stomach, dog is a local, seasonal and authentic ingredient.
Where does our heroic, liberal attachment to traceability, honesty and native tradition end and the morality of what we eat kick in?
In Vietnamese cooking, there are seven ways to cook a dog.
In a culture of grass-fed milk and hardcore food provenance, could one of these recipes ever make an eco-hero's menu? Or is this a dog's breakfast of food ethics?
- Thit Cho Luoc - Steamed dog
- Cha Cho - Grilled dog
- Rua Man - Steamed dog in shrimp sauce, rice flour and lemon grass
- Doi Cho - Dog sausage with dog blood, peanuts, vegetables and neck bone
- Gieng Me Mam Tom - Steamed dog in shrimp sauce, ginger, spices and rice vinegar
- Canh Xao Mang Cho - Bamboo shoot and dog bone marrow
- Cho Xao Sa Ot - Fried dog in lemon grass and chilli