Get your revenge!
Welcome to the Vive la France Escargot celebration. Choose a section to find out more!
Eating snails !
Snails are a very important part of the food chain. Birds, hedgehogs, toads and trout all love to eat snails and so do people. Well, some people anyway.
Snails were eaten by the Romans and they introduced many varieties into Britain which eventually spread
to the United States. Very old cookery books have recipes showing how they cooked them.
There are many different types of edible snails in the world. The most common are:
Helix aspersa: also called the "small grey snail."
Helix pomatia: also called "the Roman snail."
Edible snails range in size from about 1 mm long to the giant African snails which can grow up to 312 mm long – that a fairly hearty dinner.
If you’re cooking snails it’s advisable to buy them from the supermarket or from another
reputable snail retailer - maybe have a look in the Yellow Pages. These are called edible snails and
are cultivated versions of the snails you
can see in your garden. Garden snails can be eaten, but you
have to be very careful that they have not been near harmful pesticides. It is also important to clean
and prepare the snails correctly.
Of course snails are best eaten as part of a tasty recipe. Naturally we would always recommend Café Rouge’s very own Gratin d’escargot – snails dished up with garlic, ham and mushrooms – which is available in all restaurants throughout May. However, if you’re the culinary ambitious sort, or maybe just fancy something a little different, why not try one of the following snail recipes.