Escargot Snails – What Does Escargot Mean in French

Is snail the same as escargot? What does escargot mean in French? There are lots of questions surrounding snails, escargots, and slugs.

I will be answering most of these questions in this article. What is the difference between slug and snail?

Today, France consumes over 40-60 thousand tons of escargots every year, with hundreds of specialty farms producing high-quality edible snails across the country.

Many individuals have struggled with the name “snail” in French since the beginning of time. But all you need to know about this will be revealed. Keep Reading.

How Do You Say Snail in French

Snails are widespread in France and are referred to as “Escargots” in French.

In most cases, “escargot” refers to a snail, particularly one that is edible, but “limaçon” refers to a snail that is not edible.

When snails are made into a meal, it is known as this. Snails are eaten by millions of people every year all around the world. It’s even been designated as a national holiday! Escargot Day is observed on May 24th.

It is derived from Escargol (Old French), Classical Latin Conchylium, and Ancient Greek Konchylion (v), which means “edible shellfish, oyster.” It was first used in 1892.

They’re even honored with an annual event. At the end of May, L’Aplec del Caragol is a three-day gastronomic event held in Lérida, Spain.

It is dedicated to the land snail as a source of food, particularly the Helix aspersa, or garden snail, and attracts hundreds of visitors who come for more than just music and entertainment.

According to archeological evidence, snails have been eaten in Europe since Ancient Rome and Greece. Still, the dish is most closely identified with France — and Burgundy in particular.

What Is Escargot

Escargot is French for snail, and it is a dish made from snails that is popular in several European nations such as France, Spain, and Portugal.

However, escargot is not as common in the United States. It is (for the most part) exclusive in French restaurants, but there are certain exceptions.

However, not all snails are edible; only a few land snails may be used to make escargot.

That is if you come upon a snail in your yard and want to sample escargot, don’t cook it. It’s probably not edible, and you’ll become terribly sick if you eat it.

Many Americans are repulsed by the prospect of eating snails, although snails are merely another animal that we consume.

It’s no different than eating a pig, a deer, or even a quail. Snails have been consumed for thousands of years.

Escargot is usually served as an appetizer or as a main course.

Snails are traditionally cooked in parsley and garlic butter in the French way. Snails are cooked and served in special pans.

Depending on the size of your pan, the pan is simply a one-sided sauté pan with six to twelve chambers.

In each cavity, the snails are cooked independently. On the other hand, Cooking escargot does not necessitate the use of a particular cast-iron escargot pan. It may also be cooked by sautéing it in a skillet with butter.

They can be served in their shells, with bread on the side to go with them and soak up the butter sauce. Escargot is typically topped with additional herbs and, on sometimes, cheese.

The Origin Of Escargot in France

France is now the world’s largest consumer of edible snails, with most of the estimated 40,000 tons consumed each year being imported.

Humans have eaten snails worldwide from prehistoric times, and snails have occasionally eaten them.

Edible snails arrived in the United States in the 1850s.

Few snails escaped via immigration and consumers, and It took some months to spread everywhere in the country.

In response to the question, “Why do the French eat escargot?” I’m always up for a cheeky response like “because it tastes wonderful.”

But first, a little background information would do. Snail eating began in the 6th century BC with hunter-gatherer tribes living in France.

Still, snails first rose to prominence in 1814 when Talleyrand attempted to impress Tzar Alexander on his visit to Paris.

When the chef of Talleyrand was ordered to produce a dish that the Tzar had never had before, he chose a local (he was from Burgundy) version of snails with garlic, parsley, and butter.

The Tzar was so taken aback that he began requesting “Escargots de Bourgogne” regularly from then on.

As a result, escargots evolved into a thought-after dinner frequently offered for special occasions, particularly as an appetizer at Christmas.

Snails were consumed in numerous parts of the ancient world, including the Roman Empire. They even farmed snails so that there would be a plentiful supply to meet demand.

Snails have a long history of being eaten by the Romans. Pliny the Elder claims that Fluvius Hirpinus fed his snails wine and meat, indicating the importance of snails in Roman gastronomy.

What Are The Various Escargot Varieties

The most common Escargot snails 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.

Helix snails are plumper and tenderer than Achatine snails. However, both are tasty, high in protein, and rich in minerals and vitamin C.

Most Helix Burgundy Escargot Snails are wild-caught, while our Achatine Snails are cultivated. Petit (little) to Very Large to Extra Large escargot snails are classed and sold by size.

Many of them are members of the Helicid snail family (Helicidae), and others are particularly connected to the Roman snail (Helix and related genera).

The Achatinidae family of large African land snails, on the other hand, is essential as a source of food.

Escargot de Bourgogne, Escargot Petit Gris, and Escargot Turc are the three forms of Helicid escargots seen in considerable quantities.

The Roman snail (Helix pomatia) is Escargot de Bourgogne, which refers to the Romans’ culinary use of snails and their subsequent dispersion throughout the Roman Empire.

On the other hand, Petit Gris (Little Grey Snail) refers to a brown garden snail (Cornu aspersum, also often mentioned under the obsolete name Helix aspersa).

Helix lucorum, commonly imported from Asia Minor, is eventually described as Escargot Turc (Turkish snail).

 Some other edible snails include:

• Cepaea nemoralis
• Cepaea hortensis
• Achatina fulica
• Helix aperta, and
• Otala punctata

What Is the Origin of Snail? Find out more.

Why Do the French Eat Snails

The tradition of consuming them continued after that. Snails are still a big business in the restaurant industry.

Land snail meals are now rare in many parts of France, the United Kingdom, and other nations, where they command premium prices and are used in creative recipes.

Offering them is becoming the norm for big receptions and other opulent events. Every year, over 4,000 tons of land snails are consumed in Portugal alone!

In European cuisine, land snails are a common component. Snails are a popular appetizer or main course for many people.

Many people prepare them at home, and there are numerous popular recipes for preparing them online. These kinds of meals are also common at many high-end restaurants.

Snails are regularly eaten in Greece and Italy in various cuisines, and they are occasionally used in sauces and poured over pasta. Spain, Portugal, and Germany are among the nations that eat them.

In the United States, escargots, frequently imported from many countries, have a considerable market.

Many of the recipes served in some establishments are comparable to those served in European establishments.

The garden snail is the most popular variety of snail used for eating. If you have a snail problem in your garden, don’t try to catch them; wild snails might carry a parasite that can cause meningitis and other ailments.

What Are The Nutritional Advantages Of Escargot

Snail meat is abundant in protein and B vitamins, making it an easy-to-digest and diet-friendly food. Regardless of how they are prepared, the meat of snails includes vital amino acids.

Calcium, magnesium, and iron are among the minerals found in them. The meat of a snail is both soft and elastic. It goes well with dry white wine and champagne, as well as beer and peace.

Escargots have a high protein and low-fat content, low-carbohydrate,  similar to other mollusks. They have a protein content of 15%, a fat content of 2.4 percent, and a water content of approximately 80%.

A 3-ounce serving of snails contains roughly 76 calories.

Despite the lack of fiber, escargots are a good source of lean protein, with 14 grams per serving. Snails also provide a range of other essential nutrients for your body.

Snails have high iron content, with 3 milligrams per serving.

According to the National Institutes of Health, most adults should get at least 8 milligrams of iron each day, with women aged 19 to 50 needing 18 milligrams and pregnant women needing 27 milligrams.

In addition, one serving contains 212 of the 300 milligrams of magnesium, 231 of the 580 milligrams of phosphorus, and 325 milligrams of potassium, which is roughly 10% of your daily requirement. Trace amounts of calcium, salt, and zinc are all found.

Snail meat isn’t particularly nutrient-dense, but one serving provides about 35% of the recommended daily vitamin E intake for people, which is 12 milligrams.

What Is the Best Way to Cook Escargot

Snails are nutritious on their own, but the ingredients you use to cook them can add unwanted substances to your diet.

Escargots Bourguignon, for example, is a famous French style of cooking snails in a garlic butter sauce.

Two-thirds of a cup of butter is required for a four-serving dish. There are 277 calories and 31 grams of fat in each serving.

Look for recipes that don’t use butter or oils with less saturated fat, such as olive or canola oil, to keep the dish nutritional.

Let me show you some African Giant Snail Recipes for you to try out.

Procedures For Making Escargot For A Meal

Snails are gauged (much like oysters or shrimp) so that, depending on their size, they either go into the preparation or are set aside until they reach the required size.

After that, the snails are taken from the shell, cleaned, and pasteurized in boiling water.

The snails’ intestines are sliced out and hung to dry first.

The butter used in the filling is known as beurre d’escargot.

Snails are simmered in white wine with bay leaves, celery, and onion in Cretan cuisine, then coated in flour and fried with rosemary and vinegar.

Petit Gris snails are cooked in red wine or ale with mint, basil, and marjoram. Snails are usually cooked in their shells and served.

Snails are cooked in Nagaland with axone and pork meat, particularly fats. It’s known as ‘hamok’ in the area.

“Ghlal,” which is another name for Snails, is popular street food in Morocco. They are cooked in a jar with hot water, herbs, and specific seasonings.

Moroccan snails are served hot in tiny bowls with their liquid after they’ve been cooked.

Escargots, or cooked snails, are a popular French dish eaten as an appetizer. Snails must be purged, separated from their shells, and cooked with garlic butter, chicken stock, or wine before serving.

Their soft texture and clean, woody flavors go incredibly well with herb-infused butter, commonly made with garlic, thyme, and parsley.

Cooked escargots can be served on toasted baguette slices, although they’re more frequently presented in their shells on an escargot dish.

Snail tongs are required to grasp the shell, while a two-pronged snail fork extracts the meat. 

Chefs purify snails by fasting them for three days on only water and then feeding them grain and water for one week before preparing them.

Escargot Recipe – Escargots à la Bourguignonne

This is a perfect recipe for escargot lovers and newbies who want to try what escargot tastes like.

preparationTime: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4  portions

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, tiny
• 3/8 teaspoon salt, table
• 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons shallot, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, freshly chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white wine, dry
• 12–16 snails* (from a 7- to 8-oz can)
• Approximately 2 cups kosher salt (for stabilizing snail shells)

Preparation

1. Pre-heat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and place the middle oven rack in the oven.
2. Mash garlic to a paste with 1/8 teaspoon table salt using a sturdy knife.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, shallot, garlic paste, parsley, remaining 1/4 teaspoon table salt, and pepper until thoroughly blended. Mix in the wine until completely blended.
4. Distribute half of the garlic butter among the snail shells. Fill each shell with 1 snail and top with remaining butter. In a shallow baking dish, spread kosher salt and nestle shells, butter sides up, in salt.
5. Bake the snails for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the butter is melted and sizzling. Serve right away.
6. Serve right away.
7. The escargots can be prepared but not baked up to 30 minutes ahead of time and stored at room temperature until ready to bake.
8. If you don’t have an escargot serving plate, serve the snails on a tray with kosher salt (to stabilize the shells).

How to Make Fried Snails

The preparation of snails is not a difficult task. They can be fried in a regular skillet. Oysters must be salted and peppered ahead of time.

Replace the snails in the pan with a bit of oil and butter. Then fry for 5-7 minutes with the cover on till meat turn brownish

What Are The Best Escargot Restaurants In France

Burgundy is a French region.

As the country’s capital, Paris is a natural place to experience this delicacy. A few classic eateries, such as the city’s true institution, L’Escargot Montorgueil, keep the centuries-old recipes alive.

In other areas of France, the culinary stronghold of Burgundy is recognized for its Helix Pomatia snails, also known in the UK as Roman snails.

You won’t have to travel far, either, because almost every restaurant in the neighborhood offers a version of the dish. Dijon, the region’s capital, has some of the best chardonnay, coq au vin, and beef bourguignon in the country, as well as escargots.

The snails are stewed for several hours in wine, shallots, carrots, and onions before being filled with garlic and parsley and roasted in the oven.

Escargots: How to Eat Them

• Grasp the shell using snail tongs. Do not try to pull a Pretty Woman.
• Using a snail fork, dig the snail out of the shell.
• Eat the snail.
• Repeat the process while sipping wine and using toasted bread to soak up butter and snail juice.

Final Thought

It is now widely recognized that an inedible snail differs from an edible snail, generally referred to as “escargot.”

See here, If snails are good or bad for consumption

Snails are an excellent source of iron, calcium, Vitamin A, and a variety of other minerals, in addition to being high in protein and low in fat.

Vitamin A strengthens your vision and helps your immune system battle sickness. It also promotes the growth of cells in your body.

Check out all the nutritional benefits of snails in our diets

But you must ensure you cook the snails properly because they may carry some parasites.

If the parasites are not adequately cleaned or cooked, they might harm the human body and cause severe infections.

Let me recommend that you get dried-freeze Giant African Land snail for healthy snails.

Generally, snails must be handled and cooked with utmost caution to avoid any health problems. Don’t eat it if you’re not sure about the species, source, or handling.

Get your edible dried-freeze Giant African snail here