Escargot: Why snails are a popular specialty in France

Delightful or disgusting? Eating snails is not for everyone. In France they are called escargot and especially served during festive meals. French chefs often cook them with garlic, parsley and butter. High class restaurants also have more elaborate versions on the menu. While the collection of wild snails is strictly regulated in France, most of the roughly 20,000 tonnes of the snails for the yearly consumption are imported. We visited a specialized farm in the French region of Burgundy to see how snails are bred and turned into the popular dish.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:39 The snail farm
01:27 Why collecting snails is restricted
01:54 How to harvest and cook the snails
03:11 Snails in a high class restaurant
04:45 Outro
CREDITS
Report, Camera, Edit: Sylvain Thizy
Supervising editor: Ruben Kalus
#snails #escargot #france
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[@brentvalentine]

I've eaten them here in Canada a few times. They were always served with garlic butter and they are very tasty.

[@khaelamensha3624]

I wish I can eat them, in France the traditional recipe is with butter garlic and parsley

[@TemplarX2]

I'm interested in trying this one day as well as frog legs.

[@nashcrowford147]

So?

[@julienstephan8027]

@@TemplarX2 What a excelent idea !!!......

[@KonradvonHotzendorf]

That's how we🇿🇦 commonly serve them too Pretty much available everywhere If the Price is right they are tasty

[@selvingreen3585]

In India we have many adivasis (indigenous tribes) who cook dried snails and make food/daal out of it. I'd visited my Santhal side of family in far rural areas of Jharkhand, they gave me to try "Rokoi" i.e. small dried snails (shells not included), made into a daal-like dish. Believe me it was one of the tastiest things I'd ever eaten. You couldn't tell that the soup/daal-like thing had snails, because texture is rubbery, colour is deep green and shape is like miniature vertically crushed cans. Snails are available in rainy seasons and in rural areas, so folks catch, dry and sell them during that season. They're sold in rural markets "Hatia"s. I think they keep good for more than 1 year. When need for special occasion arises, only a few spoons of Rokoi a very good meal.

[@DWFood]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing!

[@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket]

Sick, nasty, gross.

[@Ccc47373]

Here in the North Eastern region of India, snails are eaten in many states(Assam, Nagaland, Manipur etc.). In Assam, the people of Bodo tribe has a very tasty recipe of snails cooked with black gram. Please make a video on various indigenous food of North East India. @DWFOOD

[@luchewigg168]

I’m gonna have nightmares about the snails in the mixer

[@menon_ji4984]

Chattisgarh rural areas too. Infact many tribals eat it as delicacy

[@jamesc8563]

I tried escargot at a café in Paris a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower. Enough butter, garlic, white wine, and herbs and anything will be delicious, but the snails do have their own delicate and pleasant flavor that still comes through. Kind of like a milder mussel with a little bit of mild mushroom. Nothing strong, but without being bland either. The texture was good as well. I can definitely see why they’re popular in France, and kinda wonder why they never really took off elsewhere in the West.

[@bocahdongo7769]

It's insanely common here in SEA And yes, tons of escargot imported from here

[@pierren___]

Antifrench propaganda aka anglosphere

[@boredgamer7841]

Because it doesn't matter how much fanfare you give it, or how fancy-schmancy you serve and present it, a snail is a snail and not dignifying to eat. Snails and bugs and the like is what starving north koreans eat out of necessity, just to survive.

[@pierren___]

@@boredgamer7841 every food is disgusting, until you cook it well.

[@boredgamer7841]

@@pierren___ You can tell yourself this lie all you want.

[@hin_hale]

I recently bought a piece of land in swedish Sörmland. There are so many snails there! As soon as I move there, I'm planning on harvesting a few times every autumn and having a feast. 😋

[@codfusilli5879]

In the Philippines we eat the Golden Apple Snail we call "Kuhol". Stewed in coconut milk, garlic, onion and spices.

[@kenet71]

We eat pares! 🇵🇭

[@inisipisTV]

Tasty and spicy.😊

[@__Hanasei__Levinus__]

God now im hungry, PAHINGI!

[@male20yearsold]

oh again pretty similar language😂, in Indonesia it's caled just "Kol", so far as i know it can be found many in the rice fields,

[@Jartisann]

But isn't that water snail though? Thatt feels more like shell fish than snail in terms of perception 😅😂

[@santolify]

Paired that with a crusty french bread and dry red wine... YUM!

[@justchillokay7138]

I have eaten plenty of them when I was little back in the Philippines, cooked in creamy coconut milk with garlic and chilli 😉 it was delicious!

[@varoonnone7159]

What I like about the snails, their gummy texture and the garlic butter. They go well so much

[@T2MARA]

I've always imagined that they would taste similar to shrimp but "gummy texture" doesn't sound appetizing to me. I'm not that adventurous so escargot, among other things, will have to remain a mystery for me.

[@PermenBoba-dq3jb]

​@@T2MARAthe one i ate taste like a chicken + mushroom, it's mushy, earthy

[@JGB_Wentworth]

“Gummy texture” 🤮

[@T2MARA]

@@PermenBoba-dq3jb "Mushy " is still a no for me. I'm one of those people where texture matters. But, maybe I'll have to try just to say I did it....but just a nibble. 😆

[@PermenBoba-dq3jb]

@@T2MARA the one i ate always remind me of chicken that's too "juicy" that's it felt like undercooked but it's not chicken 😂 you should, i think you will get used it, just think of it as mushroom lmao

[@amifterbifty]

I've been saying this since this channel had

[@sidoniemanyfoba1654]

We call them kongo meat in Cameroon, mostly in the littoral and surrounding regions. Out of their shell, thoroughly cleaned of the slime, boiled or grilled on a skewer, often heavily spiced. DELICIOUS 😋.

[@seb0rn739]

Once when I visited Paris, I wanted to try snails. I ordered a small portion so that if I didn't like it I wouldn't waste so much money (they are quite expensive at restaurants). I should have ordered a big portion because I loved it.

[@Alaskan-Armadillo]

Of all things the first time I had escargot was in Berlin at a Prussian restaurant called Marjellchen. They tasted great! I loved them! They were like a grassy crustacean! The name for the act of eating snails falls underneath the category of science called entomophagy and has a long history in the America's dating back to pre-columbian times.

[@user-yp6kn2uw4k]

Maybe this process of eating is called malacophagy?? After all, mollusks are not insects.🧐😕

[@JGB_Wentworth]

That’s disgusting

[@Alaskan-Armadillo]

​@@user-yp6kn2uw4k It's weird because they are mollusks yes but they fall under the category of entemophagy.

[@Alaskan-Armadillo]

​@@JGB_Wentworth It's a pity you feel that way.

[@NomenNescio99]

I live in Thailand, no one here would consider it the least bit strange to eat snails. Most cooked on BBQ without butter around here, although I prefer the Frenchy version with parsley butter and some salt.

[@TeamCGS2005]

Well that goes without saying. Don't they eat rats in Thailand?

[@richbrook101]

@@TeamCGS2005 What does that have anything to do with which version of the snail dish being better?

[@TeamCGS2005]

@@richbrook101 Hi Rich. I was just pointing out that from a nation that eats rat, it's not surprising that no one in Thailand would consider eating snails the least bit strange. That is all.

[@ingridl3259]

Yea, was about to say, S.E Asian countries have so many different types and ways of eating snail's so it isn't at all odd to the region.

[@magical11]

@@TeamCGS2005 I mean, Americans eat trash from restaurants like Mcdonalds. And yet won't eat a perfectly good snail, so who knows.

[@latibass]

Why not? They taste clean and delicious. I eat shellfish anyway, so I see no difference.

[@Fullmoonhowl101]

Are you on drugs? Snails are a thousand miles away from seafood they are totally different.

[@void.reality]

@@Fullmoonhowl101 Heard of sea snails? Clams, mussels, sea snails, land snails. They're all molluscs. Definitely not a thousands miles away when they're all part of the same phylum. And all delicious.

[@arturotorres2281]

​Oh, another one who thinks he's got a brain ​@@Fullmoonhowl101

[@swordre5805]

​@@void.realityand cricket are the land prawn 😂

[@metaforcesaber]

Except what he said was smart and he used science to prove his point. You just made up some analogy that he didn't say.

[@rebeccavl97]

They are fantastic! I had them in France a few times.

[@arifsetiawan9095]

I have never eaten garden snail before. However, here in Indonesia, some people ate freshwater snail. We called them "kraca" or "tutut". It's considered as a local delicacy and it's rare now.

[@bobbymartin7455]

Maybe your gov should step up to help make conversation efforts

[@bobbymartin7455]

They obviously are being driven to extinction

[@arifsetiawan9095]

@@bobbymartin7455 nah, it's still there. Back in 90s or early 2000s, livestock such as chicken, goat, and beef were expensive so people looked for any substitution for meat. One of them was freshwater snail. It was so cheap. And now, economy condition is getting better and people can afford meat in their table (especially chicken). Freshwater snails are left behind. They're still there but rarely people caught and cooked them.

[@skyworm8006]

@@arifsetiawan9095 I'm sure snails in France have the same origin, poverty food, but managed to become popular and would be more expensive than chicken.

[@debbrueggemann3762]

LOVE escargots! Make ‘em myself. When I lived in San Diego, I’d catch them in the wild and feed them corn meal for a few weeks. Delicious

[@wyattchiordi5132]

You just would catch regular old snails? Any identification tips? What species would you go after

[@Mo-ys4yq]

I’ve always loved escargot in any recipe. I’m vry hungry from then, now! France had the most variety of escargot recipes. I wish I lived there!

[@DoraExploring-ls5vf]

No body asked you.

[@Olafsen2024]

@@DoraExploring-ls5vfwhat’s your problem?

[@MrAlexman3]

After seeing how they're prepared, I'm definitely going to try escargot 🐌

[@anameglass1607]

Medieval french people consider snail and frog as fish, they eat those when they abstain from meat. Just like their ancestor, modern french just consider it as delicacy .

[@varoonnone7159]

They also considered barnacle geese as fish and ate it for Lent

[@anameglass1607]

And beaver. Ah human, using creativity to overcome strict rules.@@varoonnone7159

[@inisipisTV]

@@varoonnone7159- If they’re tasty, why not.😊

[@beadybaby]

When I was a kid, my dad fished and shellfished. We learned too. We used to pick and eat periwinkles, which were like tiny escargot. We had to use a sewing pin to dig the meat out because they were so tiny. I've had escargot, which are similar but a lot bigger. We mostly fished and dug bigger shellfish but beggars can't be choosers!

[@JonathanWrightSA]

I've eaten the giant periwinkle/alikreukel before. Was not a fan 😅

[@geradkavanagh8240]

Used to occasionally collect , cook and eat periwinkles. Tried snails a few times both restaurant and local migrant family cooked. I prefer periwinkles to snails because of the added saltiness and 'ocean' flavour. I'm from Australia

[@TheRealKlinky]

Ive eaten them both in france & here in Zimbabwe - absolutely delicious with garlic butter❤👍

[@johnreynolds5407]

Delicious. People eat clams and oysters but are bothered by snails? Her's look marvelous.

[@zitronentee]

Because for some people, eating pests is weird

[@theotheleo6830]

@@zitronentee But that's the best way to get rid of them.

[@zitronentee]

@@theotheleo6830 Undeniable. But most people are afraid that pests bring disease, just like most people don't eat rats.

[@CampingforCool41]

Snails have cute faces and excrete slime which is why many people find it gross. I could probably try them chopped up into something else but it would be hard to eat whole.

[@faisalshahajat2872]

The farmer lady will be a very good teacher! Such adorable and soothing accent! ❤❤🎉 Merry is yours, christ is Us! 🙂🙂

[@Ninanotlina]

Love escargot for its medicinal value. Really tasty with rich butter and garlic 😋

[@rdvqc]

Back in the 1970's there used to be a restaurant in Montreal in the lower levels of Place Ville Marie called l'Escargot that served 16 varieties. We still miss it!

[@greenhat7618]

They are delicious, if you have the chance to have them at a place that prepares them properly definitely give it a try

[@BxBxProductions]

ew snails are bugs and no amount of cope will make it taste as good as cattle

[@greenhat7618]

@@BxBxProductions they are completely different things and I’ve never said they are better than cattle, some people might not like it but I think a lot will so I’m just saying it’s worth a try

[@BxBxProductions]

@@greenhat7618 imagine paying $30 at a restaurant for 3 pieces of snail that's massive cope

[@bocahdongo7769]

@@BxBxProductions at least in Asia you can pay it for.... 1-2$

[@Luka1180]

@@BxBxProductionsWhite American spotted

[@christopherchuauhang4829]

I love snails and this one looks amazing!

[@oasisofpassion]

I try it many time,, its good taste, usualy restaurant offer snail with garlic , butter and parsley

[@davidlambert6171]

In the Philippines we also eat snails called Kuhol. It’s cooked with coconut milk with other vegetable and spices. We don’t use fork to eat it. We skewer it with a toothpick.

[@SmokinYuma]

Lately I'm starting to eat less from the supermarket and more from the land, and thus also more local cuisine. I've never had Escargot but I'd love to try it one day. Greetings from The Netherlands.

[@timogul]

I had some at Disney once, they were quite tasty. I don't know if they would be worth luxury prices on a regular basis, but they are good food.

[@ericlove7321]

Loved them when I was 8. Still love them.

[@NoteAndroid]

One of my "must" have in Paris is the scargot along with traditional mussels. Add a few pieces of baguette with butter. What a lunch/dinner~!

[@Tavosmother]

Love them! They are delicious

[@notsharingwithyoutube]

I love Escargot. I live in the USA, and I've eaten it my whole life.

[@Lue_Jonin]

I had garlic snails only once back in 1982 on Guam... Very tasty 👍 💘 🐌

[@frankm7707]

They are amazing

[@AGhostintheHouse]

I used to live a few blocks from a restaurant in Zephyrhills Florida that had an escargot appetizer and it was so delicious!

[@Dreamlgider]

I tried them in in France last year, very tasty indeed.

[@hus390]

Cute and quirky! ❤

[@ramonserna8089]

I love snails with butter and garlic

[@bearhakuna514]

i love it!!

[@SuzanaMantovaniCerqueira]

🤷🏻‍♀️ I cannot resist ! I love it!

[@silvermist9644]

They're so good!

[@wxb200]

I've never had it. BUT, I definitely would try it.

[@friedapplepie1872]

I've never had French escargot but I grew up in Asia and we eat river/freshwater snails all the time. Yum!

[@rahmansantuy]

Yeah it's tasty. In Indonesia, we have "Tutut" basically snail from rice field. usually we make like a soup and then slurp the snail from the shell. Delicious!

[@jelsner5077]

I had them in Paris and they were delicious!

[@willydihar2418]

Absolutely! Southeast Asians also have snail recipes; a little less elegant than the French but still something to try ;-)

[@fuzzyechoes]

Filipinos cook it in coconut milk. It's one of my favourite dishes, ginataang kuhol.

[@RonualdoBatusin]

Never tried that though, but maybe in some parts of the Philippines, but in Cebu haven’t seen anyone doing it. Would be interesting to try though.

[@inisipisTV]

@@RonualdoBatusin- It’s a staple on the buffet of Cabalen restaurants. Though they also tend to be seasonal.

[@RonualdoBatusin]

@@inisipisTV ohhh okay..cabalen is from pampanga right? Cabalens here in cebu dont have the snail dish or maybe I didn’t get to see it whenever i go there.

[@saulchapnick1566]

I took French for six years during the 70s, saw a wonderful film on how they make escargot and made it on my bucket list to indulge in the dish when I visit France. That wasn’t until 1996. I ordered escargot and gagged as it was on the fork approaching my mouth. The thought of eating a snail was revolting. Took a pause, a deep breath and tried it again. Heavenly. Ordered it once in the United States. Did not taste the same. Was warned that snails in America did not taste the same. Have not ordered it since. The memories of the few times I had it in Paris will remain.

[@Hiyaaydi]

We usually stew snails gathered from ricefields in coconut milk and yum!

[@marioalday5966]

snails are eaten in every Mediterranean country. By the way, these giant shells you see on restaurants are purely ornamental, and sold separately. Actually the shells you buy at the supermarket are empty seashells while the snail that are served inside these shells are ground snails.

[@RayMak]

They are so super delicious

[@draculastraphouse7863]

Never had a snail but i LOVE oysters so much, i feel like they taste similar

[@AtmoPrabowo-ew1mp]

In Indonesia, we have "tutut" or keong....it's kinda similar to bekicot or escargo although not completely the same. Usually we make it into soup or satay 🤤🤤🤤

[@jamescameron1861]

I've just bought some and am looking forward to a new culinary experience.

[@thetruthinknowledge8554]

I found they have a good sweet taste, one of my favorite foods of the world

[@Jartisann]

I have eaten them since I was 8 years old because of reading Doraemon Manga, where Tsuneo goes on to brag about eating escargot in a French Restaurant, so I wanted to find out what it was all about. I am now 43 yrs old, and still love it.

[@ballistic350]

I love snails ...good eating , loving her nose bridge😊

[@szymonziolkowski5967]

I would like a try. ☺️😋

[@HuzaineHajiDaud]

Yes, i would like to try escargot

[@turingalan4679]

In the Mediterranean it is common to eat snails, In tunisia we used to eat it in the Spring and it is the best tasting meat you can try but in recent years due to draught it is rare.

[@rebeckyc1401]

I ordered escargot in a restaurant in Alsace region. The server asked if that’s what I wanted. I nodded yes. Few minutes later they came back out to ask if that’s what I wanted, yes. Half way through the chef pops a look at me to see if I’m eating…I was happily enjoying my escargot 😋

[@TakluCal]

One of the best things I’ve eaten ever.

[@CarurossTheSecond218]

One of my favorite foods

[@Tavosmother]

Delicious! I also eat chontacuros., from the Amazon

[@mathautist]

Escargot, when prepped right, tastes like garlic buttery clams, but better!

[@lesamisdelacuisineprovenca9534]

And the frog legs !! In beignets .... i loooooove them both !!

[@seeingimages]

I enjoy escargot. Very tasty. 👍

[@Conn30Mtenor]

They're delish. She's a smart cookie, raising snails to protect native species.

[@n5sdm]

I remember in the 70s all the snails i saw in france as a kid. They were everywhere. My brother and i did snail races

[@revolvermaster4939]

They’re pretty awesome in Spain, too!

[@yustianpratama]

We eat snail too in Indonesia, we call it Keong Sawah "paddy rice field snail". It is so good and yummy.

[@blastermaster5039]

Ate a lot of these in South east asia boiled in coconut milk + spices or in butter + spices. Snails look and are icky but they are so delicious.

[@revdrianinvian1841]

Well, that I would try.

[@STVG71]

While I've never had them, I envision them to be something like a steamed clam, oyster or mussel. I'd love the chance of trying them!

[@bobbiz3085]

we eat them a lot in vietnam, yes they're similar to clam or mussel

[@rob876]

I used to eat snails regularly in Cape Town when I stayed there. I believe the Huguenots brought the right kind of snails and the right kind of grapes with them when they arrived in the Cape so many years ago.

[@rbehri6280]

If you are in the Philippines try Guinataang kuhol, a snail dish cooked with coconut milk, ginger and chili, ummm yummmy!

[@Curious_Betsy]

I've worked with a lot of French people and not a single one of them have ever eaten a snail and they think the idea is gross. This has been the younger generation - mostly under 30's.

[@sylvievicenza179]

I have 1 kg in my fridge and will cooked them this after noon. I bought them from a local " allevamento elicicolo" here in Northern Italy. They will be prepared with tomatoes and herbs.

[@bensmith7536]

I had escargo in garlic butter some years ago in an Australian restaurant. A little firm in texture from a small piece of meat drawn from the shell, largely a garlic taste, not unpleasant. Think of a long thin but firm textured cooked oyster without the ocean taste, with strong garlic. No experience with French servings.

[@CloudyBogdan]

I’ve never eaten one. I would try.

[@LordBrittish]

Lobster also used to be considered “peasant food“. Heck, some people even fed prisoners potatoes before they knew they were nutritious. (when cooked?)

[@user-bv3yt2er5t]

So delicious

[@brucelee5576]

Snails are mostly texture with a mild flavor meat so it all in the sauce.

[@MikeCrawch]

I tried Apple snails before. But I’ve never tried Burgundy snails. I wouldn’t mind trying.

[@rogdawg123]

🐌🐌🐌 looks tasty 😉

[@Pighood]

yummers

[@user-km2bz8iy5o]

Popular in Vietnam too, a former French colony

[@robertraymond348]

I ate some back when I was a kid. It was delicious tbh

[@jasonbutt7199]

Yes I would yum

[@BillRalens]

when I lived in Japan, they eat a variety of snails. My favorite one was brown with four legs and some of them had udders. The most expensive cuts were heavily marbled with fat and went well with a red wine. I was also fond of the brie and other cheeses they made from these snails.

[@sgt_slobber.7628]

Escargots are Absolutely delicious!!!!! It tastes like the best mushrooms you ever had!!!!!🐌🐌🐌🤗🤗🤗

[@joebenzz]

What makes them "good" is what they put on it like the garlic butter, herbs etc... You can put the same kind of seasoning on steaks or even toasted bread and it will be phenomenal in the same way. I don't really understand why the snails are so popular as food while the tasty side of it isn't even the snail itself.

[@shaunseah757]

Texture

[@ciello___8307]

Well, before food choices were abundant, snails were easy catch and they tasted pretty decent when cooked… i could see why they caught on

[@zebax3814]

It used to be free food. In france I used to catch them with my grand parents. It was good but now having to pay more than beef to eat them seems strange

[@rafasr0]

Like they said in the video. They were poor man's food. Now theyre exotic food, like Lobster and Sturgeon Eggs AKA caviar and the whole woow its delicious and a delicacy is just cope

[@AlexiasPlaylist]

If you had snails and don't enjoy them then that's more of a personal preference/opinion rather than snails just objectively being bad.

[@bamboopanda1626]

The land snails compared to the sea snails taste different but they're very similar. I think the ones that Vietnamese and Laotian people eat has a more rubbery taste but it doesn't have a taste. It has texture and the greatest thing about this meal is that it will take up any seasoning that you make. It is delicious.

[@Mikupigeon]

The garlic butter sauce with baked mashed potatoes or bread is delicious.

[@regiecruz1397]

In Philippines its a ordinary meal Snail is cook in coconut milk with chillies

[@Pizz48]

Is the edible snail the same with any kind of garden snails? Cus i work in a big garden area, and i can easily find them here. Normally we just let it slither away or ditch them in the fish pond. I might probably take some to try this kind of delicacy if they are really edible