‘Our people have been doing that in the mountains for thousands of years’

Invasive species, whether animals or plants, can wreak havoc on an established ecosystem.

Invasive animals can disrupt the balance between predators and prey, disrupt habitats or overeat flora vital to pollinators. Meanwhile, invasive plants can displace native species and limit access to nutrients, water, space and sunlight.

Dealing with both is a challenge, and creative solutions to keep them under control are emerging around the world. Hmong people have hunted invasive animals for generations, and chef Yia Vang shows how to turn them into delicious meals in his Outdoor Channel TV series Feral.

The Hmong people traditionally settled in various places in Southeast and East Asia. After the Vietnam War broke out, many Hmong took refuge in other countries, and some went to the United States.

Vang grew up in Wisconsin and his Hmong heritage is still an intrinsic part of his life. His parents’ stories and teachings helped instill the culture in him. Food in particular offers a remarkable insight into the nomadic lifestyle.

“Food was a big part of our family, but not in the way of this romanticized view of food,” Vang told Foodbeast. “In our family, food was just part of survival, especially since it came from where we came from as refugees. It wasn’t until later in my adult years that I really realized the story behind all the food my parents made for us.”

Vang, a James Beard Award nominee and owner of the Union Hmong Kitchen in Minneapolis, hunts and cooks invasive and wild animals in his Feral show, including pythons, iguanas and wild boars.

After revealing to his father that he was hunting these animals, Vang was told, “Are you kidding? Our people have been doing that in the mountains for thousands of years.”

When talking specifically about invasive iguanas, Vang’s father said he would cook them with lemongrass, garlic and ginger.

“What was really special for me at that moment… my dad gave me a dish and a recipe that he cooked as a boy, and I was able to connect with him,” Vang said.

However, catching invasive species and using them in meals is not exclusive to Hmong culture. In New England, chef Jeremy Sewall catches invasive green crabs – which have eaten native creatures and are responsible for coastal erosion – and uses them in his menu at his Row 34 restaurants.

Pythons are also on Vang’s list of targets, and Florida is dealing with a notable python situation. That’s why the state introduced the Florida Python Challenge, which offers hunters cash prizes for catching snakes.

For Vang, controlling the spread of invasive species isn’t the only goal. He is driven by a desire to keep Hmong culture alive and share it with others.

“I believe the philosophy is that the living world around us can be used to create food that brings us together, that nourishes our souls and brings our community together,” he told Foodbeast.

“Wherever the Hmong people are – all over the world, across the country, wherever – we will always find a way to grow our own food, (and) harvest our own food, through whatever it takes to around us is to use to prepare meals and a platform where we can grow our community.”

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