Escargot The Edible Land Snail

Snails. Not what one may think of as a delicacy, unless you are a gourmand. Escargot is not a garden snail you see slugging around your backyard. Not all land snails are a good eat. Well maybe if you are starving on some island, and that's all there was.

I've tried this once, but no matter how good the aroma is that is the sauce for this snail, I just can't enjoy it, it's all mental. It's a snail. One dude told me, "You eat raw fish." True. "You eat that Filipino cow stomach lining stew." True. So what the heck is my problem? Mental. It's like balut. The Filipino duck egg with the fetus inside. I tried that once too, and I can't eat it. I mean if I had to, I would, but if I don't have to, I'll eat the boiled peanuts until I get to the next BK or KFC.

A lot of European chefs love to cook this, I've seen all kinds of styles, the French with the butter, garlic, herbs, and wine. To the Italian style, tomatoes, herbs, cheeses. Sky's the limit with any food really. However, the escargot is very popular, and just because I don't like it because of my mental state, I'm not trying to dissuade you from trying this. For me, I just don't see snail as a delicacy. 

You can purchase escargot at your local gourmet shop.

Frozen Retail

Fresh out of the oven escargot

As for the nutritional value, escargots are high in protein and low in fat content. If cooked without any butter or sat fats, you are looking at 15% protein, 2.4% fat and about 80% water.

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