Snail Farming
January 14, 2010 - By Bobby Solomon - Category: Food & Drinks
In the most recent issue of Monocle there was a really great, little article on the rise of snail farming in Bulgaria. In 2009 they exported around 850 tons of snail meat, six times more than 2008, and that figure is supposed to double in 2010. The reason for this sudden boom is the demand for snail flesh and shells to be used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, as well as the fact that people are hungry. Crafty farmers have started to create flavored snails that taste like carrot or mint, giving a whole new spin on the slimy little buggers.
They also happen to be a totally green food; everything is handled by hand and there are no chemicals involved in the cultivation. So would you sit down to a plate of minty delicious snails?
Bobby
Comments
If you've got something to say, keep it positive.I would, although I’d rather they were in a bowl than a plate! Snails are surprisingly tasty.
A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.
~Leo Tolstoy
If only they weren’t so disgusting-looking.
My squeamish stomach says no.
@Broccoli – Tolstoy never had In N’ Out before… Mmmm…
@Tolstoy – Sorry, but that’s bull! We have been doing it forever, and animals eat animals to, and if they got the chance they would eat us to! If you had said that it was unhealty or somthing like that, I could only nod, but to say it is immoral is just (sorry for the next word) stupid!
I used to have them before becoming a vegetarian. Jason is right, they are quite tasty.
They’re also quite amazing creatures though, along with slugs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhVi4Z6CjZk
I have never seen a snail that up-close and personal. They are actually really interesting and oddly beautiful creatures.
I’ve had escargot before and its really good. The meat itself isnt slimy like you’d think.
Im not sure if i’d like flavored meat though.
It’s odd to look at that picture and think the word meat. I wonder how many snails it takes to make a pound of meat.
I love snails! They’re really delicious actually. But I don’t think I would eat a flavored one, that’s just strange.
They should farm those hybrid sea slugs, then we’d get protein and vegetables!
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16124
@ Anrs
I completely agree. Most ecosystems actually depend on the food chain to survive, especially places like coral reefs. Not to mention there are plenty of animals (and humans) that simply need to be carnivores in order to survive.
Tolstoy is right in that we have a choice, but there is no right side. Being a vegan/vegetarian achieves absolutely nothing. if you want to ‘do something good’ for the earth, kill yourself and stop wasting its resources.
I want a Tolstoy’s meat hamburgerg with tons of bacon