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Don’t ask Google, ask us: Why do the French eat snails?

In this mini series, The Local answers common questions that comes up when you start typing questions with "France" or "the French" into the Google search engine.

A French snail breeder prepares some escargots de Bourgogne.
A French snail breeder prepares some escargots de Bourgogne. Snails have become emblematic of French cuisine. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)

Why do the French . . . eat snails?

In truth most French people have never actually eaten snails, known as escargots. They are generally seen as a food of the elite – or a novelty for tourists, so how did they get to be emblematic of French cuisine?

France remains world’s number one consumer of snails, going through about 30,000 tonnes every year. It only produces between 5 and 10 percent of these, however, the rest are imported, mostly from Eastern Europe and North Africa.

According to a parliamentary report, the three main species consumed here are the garden snail (Helix aspersa), the land snail (helix lucorum) and the prized Bourgogne snail (helix pomatia). 

The shelled creatures are typically removed from their shells, dried, then cooked in a broth, placed back into their shells and smeared in garlic butter before being served up. 

Ancient origins 

Hunter gatherers in a land that was yet to be named France were eating snails as far back as the 8,000 years ago. By this point in pre-history, humans had learned how to make fire – which is just as well because eating snails raw can lead to serious food poisoning. 

There is also evidence that the ancient Greeks and after then, the ancient Romans were eating snails not long after the death of Jesus, as seen in the writings of Pliny the Elder. 

At this point in time, there was nothing specifically French about snail consumption. In fact, people in many countries in Europe, Africa and South Asia still eat snails today. These creatures are high in protein and low in fat (until you smother them in butter). 

So when did eating snails become French? 

The turning point in France came in 1814 thanks to the a man named Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, who would go on to become the first ever Prime Minister of France. 

At the time, Talleyrand was serving as the country’s Foreign Minister, under King Louis XVIII. 

Tsar Alexander of Russia was in France on a state visit and Talleyrand was eager to impress. He asked his chef, a man named Marie-Antoine Carême, to prepare a dish that the Tsar would never have tried before. 

Carême opted for snails with garlic, parsley and butter – which at the time was a local delicacy in Burgundy, the region that he hailed from. 

The Tsar was allegedly so impressed by the dish that he regularly requested further servings throughout the rest of his stay and even on his return to Russia. For much of his reign, Alexandre I remained closely allied with France – although to be fair, he also frequently changed his mind and went to war with the country. 

In any case, the Tsar’s visit marked a watershed moment for French snail consumption – the dish became emblematic of culinary and diplomatic success and its popularity soared well into the 20th century. 

In 2017, the Bourgogne snail became a protected species. It’s cultivation, which happens mostly in the East of France, is carefully regulated. 

There are 350-400 snail farms in France today. 

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Member comments

  1. My grandparents were eating snails in Somerset back in the early 20th century. It was a small mining village with three pits, two pubs, one church and two chapels. So there was a lot of religion… and according to the devout you didn’t eat meat on a Friday. And if you couldn’t afford fish (and many clearly couldn’t) you were OK eating ‘wall fish’ – which is what they called snails.

  2. The Bourgogne snail only thrives on chalky soils and is also very slow to mature (around 2 years) hence its relative scarcity. There is a relic population in Kent that was purportedly introduced by the Romans and is now protected.

    There are two varieties of Helix aspersa – a giant strain hailing from North Africa and the more common garden variety – known in French as gros-gris and petit-gris respectively. The latter seems to be the preferred one for farming in France.

    They are okay to eat but I prefer the Cretan preparation – loads more flavour 🙂

    The reason there are so few snail farmers in the country where they are most consumed is largely down to the hurdles placed on entry for new farmers by its guild – these are onerous and illogical and unless changed will effectively kill off the industry in the not too distant future.

  3. For me the chief attraction of escargots is the “snail butter”, to be mopped up with crusty baguette.

  4. Over here in the Aube snails and snail collectors are (actually were) until recently common. Peasant food and delicious. Nothing to do do with the rich. Mother in law and aunts appeared at a certain time of year to collect in the pasture at the bottom of our garden and a couple of weeks later a meal would start with snails. I (british) held the record for consuming 47 snails before 5 course meal began.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

From cheese types to the amount eaten per year, via cheese favourites - here's a look at how France really feels about fromage.

Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

March 27th is the Journée nationale du fromage in France – so here are a few facts about the delicious dairy delicacy.

246

Charles de Gaulle famously once asked of governing France: “How can anyone govern a country with 246 varieties of cheese?”.

His numbers were wrong. Producers in France make closer to 1,000 varieties of cheese – and some have estimated that figure could be pushed up as high as 1,600.

8

The number of cheese ‘families’ in France. A good cheeseboard in France is generally considered to consist of at least three ‘families’ – a soft cheese, a hard cheese and either a blue or a goat’s cheese. Remember, too, an odd number of fromages on a platter is better than an even number, according from cheese etiquettists

READ ALSO France Facts: There are eight cheese families in France

2.5

About how long – in years – it would take you to try every cheese made in France, if you tried a new variety every day. Life goals. 

95

The percentage of people in France who say they eat cheese at least once a week, spending seven percent of their weekly food bill on it.

READ ALSO Best Briehaviour: Your guide to French cheese etiquette

40

Two-fifths of French people say they eat cheese every day

57

The amount of cheese produced, in kilogrammes, in France every second, according to this website, which has a counter to show you how fast that really is. It’s estimated that 1.8 million tonnes of cheese are produced in France every year.

27

The French consume, on average, a whopping 27 kilogrammes of cheese per person per year.

READ ALSO Fonduegate: Why customer service is different in France

3

The three most popular cheeses in France, based on sales, are Emmental, Camembert, and Raclette – followed by mozzarella, goat’s cheese, Comté and Coulommiers.

63

Some 63 cheeses have been awarded the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée status, which means they can only be produced in a certain region.

1

France has – or at least soon will have – one dedicated cheese museum. 

READ ALSO Three things to know about the new Paris cheese museum

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