National Escargot Day is observed each year on May 24th. This day is in honor of the famous French dish of cooked land snails. Escargot is enjoyed by many. However, it is an acquired taste. It is usually served as an appetizer in French restaurants.
Escargot {es.kar.go} is the French word for snail.
The dish of Escargot is usually prepared by removing the land snails from their shells, cooking them with garlic, butter and wine. They are then placed back into their shells with the sauce for serving. The dish is served with a special fork and tong for easier dining.
Escargot are high in protein and low in fat (without the butter).
- It is believed that snails for eating were brought to the United States (California) in the 1850’s.
- The French consume 40,000 metric tons (88,184,905 pounds) of snails each year.
- Heliculture is the science of growing snails for food.
- Snails have been eaten as food since at least ancient Roman times. Apicius, the author of the oldest surviving cookbook (1st century B.C – 2 century A.D.) has a recipe for snails in his cookbook.
- Snails are almost blind, and they don’t have any aural systems meaning that they can’t hear anything.
- American restaurants serve about 1 billion snails annually.
- 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.
- Even the lazy sloth and the lumbering tortoise have nothing on the snail’s complete lack of speed. Some snails clock in at 0.0004 miles an hour.
- Research has shown that some snail slime can be used to treat stomach ulcers.
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