Snails as food

Snails are eaten by humans in many areas such as Africa, Southeast Asia and Mediterranean Europe, while in other cultures, snails are seen as a taboo food. In English, edible land snails are commonly called escargot, from the French word for 'snail'. Snails as a food date back to ancient times, with numerous cultures worldwide having traditions and practices that attest to their consumption.

In the modern era snails are farmed, an industry known as heliciculture. The snails are collected after the rains and are put to "purge" (fasting). Today, snail-breeding techniques make them available all year. Heliciculture occurs mainly in Spain, France, and Italy, which are also the countries with the greatest culinary tradition of the snail. Though once considered "poverty food", snails are now appreciated as a delicacy by many haute cuisine chefs.

Etymology of escargot

The word "escargot" comes from the French term for snail. It was first used in French around 1892, but the word itself has much older roots. It started in Provençal as escaragol and then became escargol in Old French. The word goes even further back through Vulgar Latin coculium and Classical Latin conchylium to the Ancient Greek word konchylion, which meant "edible shellfish, oyster". The way the word developed in French and Provençal was also influenced by words related to the scarab.

History

People have been eating snails for a very long time. Archaeologists have found many broken snail shells in places like the Franchthi Cave in Greece, dating back to 10,700 BCE. These shells suggest that snails were an easy and common food for early humans. Similar findings have been made in the Zagros Mountains of Iraq, the Kermanshah region of Iran, and many areas around the Mediterranean Sea.

In ancient Rome, snails were a special food for rich people. A man named Quintus Fulvius Lippinus is known for being one of the first to farm snails. He kept many different kinds of snails and made them very fat before selling them in Rome. Today, snails continue to be a popular food in many places, especially during times when people are not allowed to eat meat, like during Lent in some Christian traditions.

Species

Not all land snails are good to eat because many are too small. The taste of the meat can also be different between species.

Some popular snails include:

• Helix lucorum, the European snail
• Helix pomatia, the Roman snail or Burgundy escargot, which is very popular in France
• Helix salomonica
• Lissachatina fulica (formerly Achatina fulica), the giant African snail
• Cepaea nemoralis, the grove snail, called rayado in Spain
• Cepaea hortensis, the white-lipped snail
• Otala punctata, known as cabrilla in Spain
• Otala lactea, the Spanish snail
• Pomacea canaliculata, the apple snail, eaten in Asia though it is invasive there
• Pomacea urceus, called guarura in Colombia and Venezuela
• Buccinum undatum, the common whelk
• Cantareus apertus, the garden snail
• Cornu aspersum, the common or garden snail, called petit-gris in France
• Elona quimperiana, known as Escargot de Quimper in France
• Littorina littorea, the common periwinkle
• Pachychilus spp., eaten by the Maya
• Ryssota ovum, called buko or bayuko in the Philippines
• Thetystrombus latus, known as bilolá in Fang, kolobwidjo in Yoruba and búzio cabra in Cape Verdean Portuguese

Nutrition

Snail meat is a nutritious choice because it has fewer calories and fat compared to other meats. It is a good source of protein, with about 10 to 19% in each serving. Snails contain important minerals like magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. They also have a lot of vitamin B3 (niacin), with up to 55% of the daily recommendation for women and 41% for men in every 100 grams of snail meat. Snails provide selenium, which helps protect the body, offering up to 50% of the daily need for women and 30% for men.

Snails are also rich in essential amino acids such as lysine, methionine, and cysteine, which are hard to find in other proteins. They contain vitamins A, E, and B12, which are important for staying healthy. Because snails have a lot of iron, they are often suggested for people who have trouble getting enough iron. Even though snail meat has little fat, it includes helpful omega-3 fatty acids.

Culinary use

Before snails are cooked, they need to be cleaned well. This is done by keeping them without food for several days or giving them only flour to eat, which helps clear their digestive systems. After this, they are washed thoroughly.

Snails are prepared in many tasty ways. In some places, they are served as a snack with toothpicks. Chefs often cook them in stews or bake them, mixing them with other ingredients like rabbit or chicken.

By region

In many parts of the world, people enjoy eating snails. In Africa, countries like Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria eat larger African varieties of snails. In the Mediterranean area, places such as France, Spain, and Italy have long traditions of eating snails, often prepared with garlic butter and served in their shells.

Southeast Asia also has many snail-loving cultures. In Indonesia, snails are fried on skewers, while in Nepal and parts of India, snails are a common food enjoyed with rice or curries.