Snake wine
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Snake wine (rượu rắn in Vietnamese) is an alcoholic beverage that can be found at Snake Village near Hanoi or any major city of Vietnam, and other countries across Southeast Asia. In early 1998, a Vietnamese government decree banned the sale of snakes and cats to China, linking it to an endemic rise in the rat population, particularly in Hanoi. The Chinese government places similar restrictions on the killing of snakes, yet snake wine remains popular in many regions. It is illegal to import snake wine to many countries including the United States because the cobras and other snakes killed in the production are often endangered species.
There are two varieties of snake wine. A large venomous snake can be placed into a glass jar of rice wine, often with many smaller snakes, turtles, insects, or birds, and left to ferment for many months. Snake blood wine is prepared by slicing a snake along its belly and draining its blood into a mixing vat with rice wine or grain alcohol. The gall bladder can be emptied into glasses with wine and the snake meat, liver, and skin can be prepared to accompany the drink.
Snakes are widely believed to possess medicinal qualities and the wine is often advertised to cure anything from farsightedness to hair loss to as well as increased sexual performance. According to the Golden Pheasant Brand Snake Wines:
The snakes are immersed in 100% rice wine in special glass bottles and then they are sealed and stored in a cellar for five years... The wines, containing substances necessary for the human body, are high quality tonics. Regularly drinking appropriate quantities of the wines can moisturize your skin, improve your appetite, and strengthen your bones, tendons and muscles. They are used to treat general fatigue, hair loss, migraine headaches, rheumatism, and neurasthenia. The tonic wines do not cause dryness syndrome, such as constipation, thirst, dryness of the throat and nose. People of all ages and both sexes, including pregnant women, can drink them in four seasons.
However, these claims should not all be taken literally as many are likely exaggerated to attract buyers. According to Wang Fuxing, the general secretary of the Association for the Conservation of Wild Fauna in China, "the traders exaggerate the protein qualities of snake meat, which makes the consumers seek this dish more and more in restaurants."
