Escargot is a dish of cooked land snails, usually served as an appetizer in France and in French restaurants. The word is also sometimes applied to the living snails of those species which are commonly eaten in this way.
Escargot, IPA: [ɛskaʁɡo], is the French word for snail. It is related to Occitan escaragol[1] and Catalan cargol, which, in turn, may derive from a pre-Roman word *karakauseli.[2] Similarly, Spanish and Portuguese use the term caracol.
Not all species of land snail are equally edible, and many are too small to make it worthwhile to prepare and cook them. Even among the edible species, the palatability of the flesh varies from species to species. In France, the species Helix pomatia is most often eaten. The "petit-gris" Helix aspersa is also eaten, as is Helix lucorum. Several additional species are popular in Europe; see heliciculture.
Contents |
Snail shells have been found in archaeological excavations, an indication that snails have been eaten since prehistoric times.[3][4] A number of archaeological sites around the Mediterranean have been excavated yielding physical evidence of culinary use of several species of snails utilized as escargot.[5] The Romans, in particular, are known to have considered escargot to be an elite food, as noted in the writings of Pliny. The edible species Otala lactea has been recovered from Volubilis in present day Morocco.[6] This archaeological recovery is from an era of Roman Empire occupation of this provincial capital, which site was known to embody a very highly developed ancient civilization since its days as a Phoenician and Carthaginian colony.
In French culture, typically the snails are purged (see below), killed, removed from their shells, and cooked (usually with garlic butter, chicken stock or wine) and then placed back into the shells together with the butter and sauce for serving. Additional ingredients may be added such as garlic, thyme, parsley and pine nuts. Special snail tongs (for holding the shell) and snail forks (for extracting the meat) are also normally provided, and they are served on indented metal trays with places for 6 or 12 snails.
In Maltese cuisine snails (Maltese: bebbux) of the petit gris variety are simmered in red wine or ale with mint, basil and marjoram. The snails are cooked, and served, in their shells.
Like most molluscs, escargot is high in protein and low in fat content (if cooked without butter). It is estimated that escargot is 15% protein, 2.4% fat and about 80% water.[7]
The snails are first prepared by purging them of the questionable contents of their digestive systems. The process used to accomplish this varies, but generally involves a combination of fasting and purging or simply feeding them on a wholesome replacement. The methods most often used can take several days. Farms producing Helix aspersa for sale exist in Europe and in the United States. In the late '80s, escargot represented a $300 million a year business in the United States.[8] Farm-raised snails are typically fed a diet of ground cereals.