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Terrestrial snails are highly valued as food in the Mediterranean countries. The Romans considered them as a delicacy and had special facilities for breeding and maintenance (cochlearia) in the Middle Ages they were authorized by the Church for consumption during Lent along with fish.
Terrestrial snails are highly valued as food in the Mediterranean countries. The Romans considered them as a delicacy and had special facilities for breeding and maintenance (cochlearia) in the Middle Ages they were authorized by the Church for consumption during Lent along with fish.
Terrestrial snails are highly valued as food in the Mediterranean countries. The Romans considered them as a delicacy and had special facilities for breeding and maintenance (cochlearia) in the Middle Ages they were authorized by the Church for consumption during Lent along with fish.
Terrestrial snails are highly valued as food in the
Mediterranean countries. In the archaeological re-
cord, terrestrial snail shells have been found in Ibe- rian period, stored in jars, which seems to demons- trate that they were already used as food by the Iberians (Oliver, 2000). The Romans considered them as a delicacy and had special facilities for bre- eding and maintenance (cochlearia). Ever since the Roman Empire, specific tools have been developed to extract the snail from its shell and facilitate con- sumption (Mead, 1961). In the Middle Ages they were authorized by the Church for consumption du- ring Lent along with fish (Fontanillas, 2008) and for this reason they are sold today in Spain at the fish markets.
Figure 1.- Iberus alonensis, this endemic snail found in Mediterranean shrublands is highly appreciated in Eastern Spain. For this reason, its po- pulations are overexploited. Land snails are a seasonal resource, linked with spring and very traditionally valued in many regions of Spain (Arrbola and Alvarez, 2001). Eating snails is also linked with festive activities, as in Logroo where it is traditional to eat snail soup on St. Johns Day. In Cantabria they are a traditional Christmas and New Year's Eve dish, while in Huesca and other Aragonese towns snails are consumed with roasted garlic and oil on the day of St. George (April 23).
In lava they are traditional on San Prudencios Feast Day (April 28), when snails are stuffed with mushrooms. On the island of Mallorca snails are eaten with chicken on the feast of the Holy Cross (3 May). Finally, almost 30 years ago in Lleida the snail festival (Aplec del cargol) was declared to be of Na- tional Tourist Interest (Fontanillas, 2008).In Spain, snails are consumed traditionally in all regions with the exception of Galicia and other parts of the Can- tabrian coast such as Asturias (San Miguel, 2004), with nine different species being used (Navarro, 1991). As occurs with mushrooms, snails are traditionally not considered a food in the Spanish regions inhabi- ted in ancient times by the Celts, e.g. NW Spain.
Gathering Warm spring days, changing from rain to sun, are the best weather to look for snails. In some parts of Spain this weather is called snail weather. Some popular sayings mark the best months to pick snails, e.g. April ones for me, May ones for my bro- ther, June ones for no one. As for the antiquity of snail picking in Albacete (SE Spain) its interesting to highlight a local Law from the village of Peas de San Pedro dating back to 1596, which in turn is a transcription of a former law from the XIII century from the town of Alcaraz (Pretel, 2005): Nobody, neighbor of this village or foreigner, can pick pine or oak wood, firewood, charcoal, willow, acorns, esparto grass.., snails in the land su- rrounding the village without permission from the town hall. 1 Part of our cuisine In Eastern Spain, there is a special esparto grass basket, made just to pick snails. According to the region, these baskets have different names, such as caracolera, cachulera or cernacho.
Figure 2.- Caracolera, cachulera or cernacho is a basketry piece, made with esparto grass and devoted traditionally to snail picking. In the heat of summer, snails have to estivate (and hibernate with the winter cold), closing the shell with a insulating wall (epiphragm), thicker in spe- cies found in Mediterranean shrublands. At this ti- me, country folk say that snails are enchanted and snails that have been collected can remain in this state for several years.
Snails as a food Snails contain a high percentage of water. They are a good source of protein, while their content in lipids and sugars is very poor. Their calorie content is also low. 100 gr. of snails have:
Table 1.- Snails: nutritional facts
Figure 3.- Snail cuisine is very developed in Southern Spain. Picture, rice with snails. 2
SENBA.2008 For Helix po- matia. Arrbola (2002) Water (gr. for 100 gr.) 79 79-83 Kilocalories 77 60-80 Proteins (gr. por 100 gr.) 16 12-16 Carbohydrates (gr. for 100 gr.) 0 2 Fats (gr. for 100 gr.) 1 0.5-1 Cholesterol (gr. for 100 gr.) 0.1 -
3 Figure 4.- Land snails picked in Albacete province, SE Spain (Plate: Paco Cebrin). In Fajardo et al, 2009 4 Species Common name in Spanish Ecology Way of consumption Cepaea nemoralis serranilla Mountain meadows Sauces Cernuella virgata caracol alfalfero, caracol chupalandero, caracol pe- queo, blanquillo Grasslands, fields, road- sids, waste lands, etc. Sauces Cornu aspersum caracol de huerta, caracol sapenco, caracol negro, caracol zampudo
Homegardens, yards Sauces, roasted Eobania vermiculata choneta, chichoneta Homegardens, crops, yards Sauces Helix pomatia caracol francs Introduced in river banks, deciduous forests and ho- megardens Roasted Iberus alonensis caracol serrano, serrana, caracol cristiano, baqueta Mediterranean shrublands with rosemary, thyme, esparto grass, etc. (endemic in E Spain) Rice, roasted
Iberus gualtieranus chapa Esparto grasslands and Mediterranean shurblands (endemic in SE Spain). In danger of extinction. Rice, roasted Otala punctata barbachos, boquinegros, cabrillas, caracol gordo de huerta, maesa
Homegardens and crops. Sauces and rice Otala lactea Boquinegro, maesa Homegardens and crop fields. Sauces and rice . Sphincterochila candi- dissima and other spe- cies of this genus caracol judo, caracol moro, caracol blanco Mediterranean shrublands with rosemary, thyme, esparto grass, etc. (endemic in E Spain) Sauces, with tomato, rice Theba pisana caracol alfalfero, chupalan- dero, caracol pequeo, ca- racol de boca roja Grasslands, crop fields, roadsides, etc. Along the- Mediterranean coast of Spain. Sauces Species of land snails picked traditionally in Spain Table 2.- Land snails traditionally picked in Spain.
5 Recipe Snail species Other ingredients Preparation Snail rice Iberus alonensis Otala spp. Sphincterochila spp. Garlic cloves, olive oil, rice, saffron, salt, tomato, water. After sauting the ingredients, add the snails, leaving them to boil. Finally, add rice. Roast snails Cornu aspersum Helix pomatia Iberus spp. Olive oil, rosemary, salt. Snails are roasted in a pan with a drop of olive oil and then seasoned with rosemary and salt. Snails with scrambled eggs Iberus alonensis Chilli pepper, eggs, olive oil, salt. Place the snails in a frying pan and wait until they are tricked. Fry with olive oil, tomato and salt. Snails with tomato All Olive oil, tomato, salt. Place the snails in a frying pan and wait until they are tricked. Fry with olive oil, tomato and salt. Snails in sauce All except Iberus spp. Bay leaves, chili pepper, flour, garlic, mint, olive oil, onions, paprika, rosemary, thyme, tomato, salt, wine. Sauce is prepared with all the ingredients, adding the snails last. Then the sauce is cooked until thick and tasty. Snails with beans All except Iberus spp. Beans, garlic, olive oil, pork ear, tomato, salt, water. Beans, after soaking, are added to the sau- ce. Snails are added when the beans are half cooked. Gazpacho man- chego with snails Cornu aspersum Helix pomatia Iberus spp., Otala spp.. y Eoba- nia vermiculata Garlic, gazpacho bread, olive oil, pepper, rosemary, saf- fron, salt, tomato, water. First, we prepare a sauce with tomato and pepper. Add the trickd snails, rosemary and saffron, leaving it to boil some minu- tes. Add the gazpacho bread until it is co- oked. Spanish snail recipes (synthesis) Table 3.- Recipes. Source: Serrano (1998) and own data Preparation and recipes After gathering, snails must fast or be placed in flour in order to empty their digestive system, thus avoiding the presence of bitter substances and flavours. After some days, the next step is to trick the snails, putting them in a pot with some warm water. When all the bodies are outside their she- lls, the water must be boiled suddenly in order to kill them before they enter their shells. Nowadays, after being tricked, snails can be frozen. Other traditional uses of snails AIn addition to their use as a food, snails have other traditional uses in Spain: In folk medicine, snail slime is rubbed on warts to make them disappear (Verde et al, 2008). Also, a snail poultice has been used to reduce inflammation. Snails picked in home gardens are fed to domestic ducks.
Land snails are part of tradi- tional knowledge about natu- re for Mediterranean cultu- res, being a appreciated seasonal food.
Figure 5.- Chapa (Iberus gualtieranus) is an endemic snail in SE Spain, with only four locations. This wonderful snail, unique in the world, is in danger of extinction, due, among other reasons, to overharvesting (Moreno -Rueda, 2011). References: Arrbola, J. R. y lvarez, R. 2001. La explotacin de los caracoles terrestres en Espaa: Aspectos ecolgicos y culturales. Temas de Antropologa Aragonesa 11: 139-172. Arrbola, J. R. 2002. Caracoles terrestres de Andaluca. Manuales de Conservacin de la Naturaleza n 1. Consejera de Medio Am- biente. Junta de Andaluca. Fajardo, J., Verde, A., Obn, C., Rivera, D. y Valds, A. 2009. La recoleccin y consumo tradicional de caracoles terrestres en Al- bacete. Una perspectiva etnobiolgica. Revista de estudios alba- cetenses Sabuco 7: 235-264 Fontanillas, J. C. 2008. Helicicultura moderna en Espaa. Confe- rencia en la RACVE (Real Academia de Ciencias Veterinarias). En http://www.racve.es/actividades/helicicultura%20fontanillas.htm Mead, A. R. 1961. The Giant African Snail: a problem in economic malacology. The University of Chicago Press. Moreno-Rueda, G. 2011. Revisin del estatus de conservacin del caracol amenazado Iberus gualtieranus gualtieranus. Zool. baeti- ca, 22: 69-85 Navarro, J. 1991. Los caracoles terrestres ibricos de inters gas- tronmico. Quercus 61: 18-25. Oliver, A. 2000. La cultura de la alimentacin en el mundo ibri- co. Ed. Diputaci de Castell. Pretel, A. 2005. El castillo de Peas de San Pedro. Del encastilla- miento al villazgo (siglos X-XVI). Instituto de Estudios Albaceten- ses Don Juan Manuel. Albacete. San Miguel, E. 2004. Etnobotnica de Piloa (Asturias). Tesis Doctoral. Universidad Autnoma de Madrid. SENBA (Sociedad Espaola de Nutricin Bsica y Aplicada). 2008. Tablas de composicin de alimentos. En http://www.senba.es/ recursos/pdf/tablas_comp_alim/1.2.%20Macronutrientes%20y% 20Minerales.pdf Serrano, C. 1998. El Recetario de Madrigueras. Ed. Caridad Se- rrano. Albacete. Verde, A., Rivera, D., Fajardo, J., Obn, C. y Cebrin, F. 2008. Gua de las plantas medicinales de Castilla-La Mancha. Ed. Alta- bn. Albacete.
Texts: Alonso Verde y Jos Fajardo Pictures: Jos Fajardo y Paco Cebrin Design: Miguel R. Brotons 6