Although mainly considered a French dish, escargot (snails) have been eaten for many thousands of years. Large quantities of empty shells have been found in the caves of prehistoric man, indicating that in various parts of the world they were a common part of the diet at that time. With the rise of civilisation, various cultures (including the Greeks and Romans) have continued to eat snails, often considering them a delicacy.

Today there are over 100 different types of edible snails (with 116 different types being the most quoted number). In France, only two types are commonly eaten: the 'Petit-Gris' (which is French for 'Little-Gray', and is scientifically known as Helix Aspersa) and the 'Escargot de Bourgogne' (which is French for 'Burgundy Snail ', and is scientifically known as Helix Pomatia). It is possible to collect snails from the wild and eat them, provided you know which ones are edible and where to find them. In France there is a hunting season for edible snails, and they can only be collected during this time. Although restricting snail collection to this hunting period is intended to protect the wild snail population, here and elsewhere in the world the population has been reduced through over-collecting.

If collecting snails from the wild, considerations include:

Some snails are protected (due to population decline) and cannot be legally taken. Others may have a hunting season, which is the only time they can be collected.

Not all snails are edible. Some have an unpleasant taste, while other are poisonous. If collecting wild snails, take local advice to avoid a disappointing meal (or worse).

The taste of wild snails is affected by what they eat. If they happen to have eaten poisonous plants, they will also become poisonous until the poison has been purged from them (see the above section on Preparation).

The increasing scarcity of wild snails (and associated costs of collection) has promoted the creation and growth of snail farms, which now grow a proportion of the snails for public consumption. Breeding of edible snails has focused almost entirely on the 'Petit-Gris' rather than the 'Escargot de Bourgogne' . For more information (and pictures on snail breeding) click on Escargot Breeding. The technical term for farming snails is heliciculture.

We also have escargot recipes (simply use the recipe search facility on this site).