# Cooking snails **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-snails/234341 "2004-03-15T02:09:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-snails/234341/1 "2004-03-15T02:09:40Z")
It seems like a simple Google, but it’s not… How do I go about collecting, preparing and cooking common snails (UK here)… Google turns up a hell of a lot of advice, but reading through any quantity of it shows it’s just a bunch of old wives tales. So what do I do? Just starve them for five days and then boil them? ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-snails/234341/2 "2004-03-15T03:38:15Z")
[Here’s](http://www.leyton.org/recipe_mendip_snails.htm) a page with a basic snail recipe and how you should prepare them. I wouldn’t just go picking them out of your garden and cooking them - there are risks from pesticides, parasites etc. Also, while I don’t know if there are any snails that can’t be eaten, some of them taste like crap. Find a snail supplier in your area (often providores supplying restaurants will be able to help you out.) Alternatively, collect your snails in the wild, keep them in a pen for at least three days (feed them while they’re there), if they’re still alive after three days they’ll probably be alright but, personally I use snails that are bred from a population that has been in my snail farm for many generations (many generations of snails that is, not many generations of my family) If you want to start snail farming [here’s](http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/AFSIC_pubs/srb96-05.htm) a page from the US Dept of Agriculture on how to do it ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-snails/234341/3 "2004-03-15T05:57:16Z")
BTW the two species you want to eat are [Helix pomatia](http://www.les-snats.com/fiches/helix_pomatia.html) or [Helix aspersa](http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/gastro/brown_garden_snail.htm). Most people eat H.Pomatia (the roman snail) but H. aspersa (the brown garden snail actually tastes better. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-snails/234341/4 "2004-03-15T13:34:52Z")
This is about cooking so I’ll move this thread to our arts forum, Cafe Society. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-snails/234341/5 "2004-03-15T13:39:14Z")
I had snails once. It was like pieces of tyre in garlic butter. Very chewy. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-snails/234341/6 "2004-03-15T14:24:43Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > I had snails once. It was like pieces of tyre in garlic butter. Very chewy. Sounds like they weren’t prepared quite properly. They should be slightly more shrimp-like in texture and not quite so “bouncy.” (In my experience) if you overcook them, as with any meat, they get a toughness that gives them a what-the-hell-am-I-eating??? rubbery texture. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-snails/234341/7 "2004-03-15T14:27:39Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Sounds like they weren’t prepared quite properly. They should be slightly more shrimp-like in texture and not quite so “bouncy.” (In my experience) if you overcook them, as with any meat, they get a toughness that gives them a what-the-hell-am-I-eating??? rubbery texture. This from someone with your username…? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-snails/234341/8 "2004-03-15T14:35:20Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > This from someone with your username…? Of course I dye my snails “Forest Green” and “Celestial Blue” to match the rest of the food on my plate…