What types of snails are made into Escargot?

What types of snails are made into Escargot? - Interior of contemporary cozy bedroom including brown wooden night stand near bed covered with blanket and soft pillow in sun rays

I am aware that not all snails are edible. Generally speaking, what types of snails are used to make Escargot?

What qualities of the snail makes it a good candidate for Escargot.

In addition, what makes a dish Escargot? Is Escargot snail prepared in a specific way or is it any dish that contains snail?



Best Answer

For escargots, land snails are used. Most common are the species Helix pomatia, Helix aspersa and Helix lucorum*.

There are two restrictions: it should be edible (problem solved if you work with one of those three) and it should be large. Larger snails have more flesh to work with. You have to be a bit lucky for this. There's quite some variation. I think - for the dish that you mean - the snails should still have their house as well. However, I wouldn't advice you to go into the 'wild' and pick your own. Just buy them at the supermarket. It's safer, since snails can have digested toxins that take some time to leave their bodies.

The word "escargot" is French for "snail". You can find different preparations for snails, they would be called "escargots à la ..." with ... being the name of the sauce or preparation. The standard (at least here) drops the last part, since it's the basic preparation (herb butter with garlic).

There are other types of snails/slugs that are edible, for instance common whelks are also sold and eaten here, they live in the sea, not on land, but it's a whole different preparation.

*Source




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Quick Answer about "What types of snails are made into Escargot?"

The European Garden Snail (Helix aspersa), The Turkish snail (Helix locurum) and the Roman or Burgundy snail (Helix pomatia), also known as the land lobster for for its superior flavor and texture, are the most popular species of edible snails in the world.

What types of snails are used for escargot?

When it comes to the world's most popular species, the three ones that top the list are the Turkish snail (Helix locurum), the European Garden Snail (Helix aspersa), and the Roman or Burgundy snail (Helix pomatia). They're known for their impeccable texture and flavour.

Can any snail be escargot?

Escargot, in its purest form is a snail served in its shell (or, in France, it can simply just refer to a single snail). While there are, of course, snails in both bodies of water and on land, land snails are the ones sourced for escargot and other snail-based dishes.

Are there different types of escargot?

There are over 100 different species of edible Escargot snails, but the most popular ones are Helix Aspersa or "Petit-Gris", French for Little Gray, Helix Pomatia or "Escargot de Bourgogne", French for Burgundy Snail, and Achatine or Asian Snail.

Can garden snails be escargot?

Answer: The common brown garden snail, which was originally brought to this country from France, is the same type of escargot that is eaten in many restaurants.



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Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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