CHUKWUBIKES' BLOG

Sunday, October 12, 2008

SNAILS...NIGERIA

4 comments:

Simona said...

anche i bruchi sono buoni...

Chukbyke.Okey,C. said...

@simone; ogniunno ha i suoi guisti

Anonymous said...

people dont eat these do they?



ewwwww

Chukbyke.Okey,C. said...

@Kin'shar;
YES PEOPLE EAT THEM, KNOWN TO BE DELICIOUS AND EXPENSIVE IN MANY PLACES THOUGH.
THE NOTE BELOW IS FROM WIKIPEDIA
--------------------------
Snails in cuisine
A snail farm in Provence
A snail farm in Provence

Snails have been eaten for thousands of years, beginning in the Pleistocene. They are especially abundant in Capsian sites in North Africa but are also found throughout the Mediterranean region in archaeological sites dating between 12,000 and 6,000 years ago.[12][13] However, it should be noted that wild-caught land snails that are undercooked can harbor a parasite that may cause a rare kind of meningitis.[14] Specialized snail caviar is also growing in popularity in European cuisine.[15]

[edit] Europe

Snails are eaten in several European countries, as they were in the past in the Roman Empire. Mainly three species, all from the genus Helix, are ordinarily eaten:

* Helix pomatia, or edible snail, generally prepared in its shell, with parsley butter (size: 40 to 55 mm for an adult weight of 25 to 45 g.; typically found in Burgundy, France).
* Helix aspersa:
o Helix aspersa aspersa also known as the European brown snail, is cooked in many different ways, according to different local traditions (size: 28 to 35 mm for an adult weight of 7 to 15 g.; typically found in the Mediterranean countries of Europe and North Africa and the French Atlantic coast).
o Helix aspersa maxima (size 40 to 45 mm for an average weight of 20 to 30 g.; typically found in North Africa).

Snails are a delicacy in French cuisine, where they are called escargot. In an English-language menu, escargot is generally reserved for snails prepared with traditional French recipes (served in the shell with a garlic and parsley butter).

Snails are also popular in Portuguese cuisine (although not in the north of the country) where they are called in Portuguese caracóis, and served in cheap snack houses and taverns, usually stewed (with different mixtures of white wine, garlic, piri piri, oregano, coriander or parsley, and sometimes chouriço). Bigger varieties, called caracoletas, are generally grilled and served with a butter sauce, but other dishes also exist such as feijoada de caracóis. Overall, Portugal consumes about 4,000 tonnes of snails each year.[16]
Cooked French Escargots
Cooked French Escargots

Traditional Spanish cuisine also uses snails ("caracoles"), consuming several species such as Helix aspersa, Helix punctata, Helix pisana or Helix alonensis among others. Small to medium-size varieties are usually cooked in several spicy sauces or even in soups, while the bigger ones may be reserved for other dishes such as the "arroz con conejo y caracoles" (a paella-style rice with snails and rabbit meat, very popular in the inner regions of south-eastern Spain). Snails are very popular in Catalonia, where they are called "caragols" or "cargols." In fact, a snail celebration, the "Aplec del cargol," takes place in Lleida each May, drawing more than 200,000 visitors from abroad. Popular Catalonian recipes for snails are a la llauna, grilled inside their own shells and then eaten after dipping them in garlic mayonnaise, or a la gormanda, boiled in tomato and onion sauce.

In Greece, snails are popular in the island of Crete, but are also eaten in other parts of the country and can even be found in supermarkets, sometimes placed alive near partly refrigerated vegetables. In this regard, snails are one of the few live organisms sold at supermarkets as food. They are eaten either boiled with vinegar added, or sometimes cooked alive in a casserole with tomato, potatoes and squashes. Another cooking method is the Kohli Bourbouristi (χοχλιοί μπου(ρ)μπουριστοί)[17] traditional Cretan dish, which consists of fried snails in olive oil with lemon.

In Sicily, snails (or babbaluci as they are commonly called in Sicilian) are a very popular dish as well. They are usually boiled with salt first, then served with tomato sauce or bare with oil, garlic and parsley. Snails are similarly appreciated in other Italian regions, such as Sardinia.

In southwestern Germany there is a regional specialty of soup with snails and herbs, called "Black Forest Snail Chowder" (Badener Schneckensuepple).

Heliciculture is the farming of snails. "They are protected in the wild almost everywhere (at least, the Roman Snail must not be collected any more), but the Roman Snail and the Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum) especially are cultivated on snail farms."[9]

Snails (or bebbux as they are called in Maltese) are a quite popular dish on the Mediterranean island of Malta.

[edit] Elsewhere
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2008)
A dish of cooked freshwater nerites from the Rajang River, Sarawak, Malaysia
A dish of cooked freshwater nerites from the Rajang River, Sarawak, Malaysia

Achatina fulica, the Giant East African Snail, is sliced and canned and sold to consumers as escargot.[citation needed] In parts of West Africa, specifically Ghana, snails are served as a delicacy. Achatina achatina, Ghana tiger snails, are also known as some of the largest snails in the world.
Various snail species are eaten in Asian cuisines as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snail#Diet