American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-06-26
Snail Eating.

In the wears of our boyhood we have
often eaten marine snails, a custom preva-
lent in many localities along the coasts of
France, Belgium, Holland and Denmark.
Two kinds ofthese are quite popular; one a
small snail with a black shell of the same
size as the common garden snail; they are
there peddled about as peanuts and
shrimps are here; the other Kind are much
larger and of lighter color; they are not
found in such abundance, but considered
a delicacy by many, as scallops are in this
country. 1t is especially the small kind
mentioned which are very much liked,
particularly by children. The snails are
cooked with the shell on, and each eater,
armed with pin, picks out the snail, or
cracks the shell like a nut between the
teeth.
1t is well known, however, that snail-eat-
ing in prevalent In Italy, and has been for
many centuries, while at the present day
1t is being introduced in France as a new
delicacy for the table. In Pliny's time
Barbary snails stood first in repute, those
of Sicily ranking next; and it was the
custom to fatten the creatures for the table
BY dieting them upon meal and new wine,
with such success, if we dare believe
Varro, that some of their shells would
hold ten quarts of liquor. In modern
Rome fresh gathered snails are hawked
by women from door to door for the
benefit of housewives, who boil them in
their shells, and stew or fry them in oil.
1t is a common sight to see in an Italian
city the people gathered around number
of baskets filled with snails waiting to be
thrown into q large iron pot standing over
Q fire made between four stones, and
boiled with herbs and tomatoes, for retail
ing to the expectant crowd
Chdmbers' Journal informs us that an
Englishman at dinner with q Sicilian gen.
tleman was invited to partake of some
snails treated in this way, and for polite
ness sake forced himself to swallow two
of them, although he found it impossible
to feIgn the delight with which the host
and his daughter sucked the mollusks out
Of their shells.
A century ago some 1000, 600 snails
were annually exported from Ulm in
s.cags" of 10000, fetching from twenty
five to forty forms a Gag. In Tyrol young
sters of both sexes are employed during
the summer months collecting snails as
stock for the snail gardens-small plots Of
land cleared of trees and covered with
heaps of moss and pine twigs, and sepa-
rated from each other by moats, having
gratings at their outlets to prevent any
truants that may get into the water from
being carried beyond bounds. The pris-
oners are supplied daily with fresh grass
and cabbage-leaves until their apPetitcs
fail and they retire into the moss heaps
for their winters sleep, the last one they
will enjoy; for when spring comes they
arc routed out of their beds, packed into
straw-lined boxes, and sent to market. In
. favorable season one of these gardens
viii turn out 10000 snails. The con-
sumption of them in the South Tyrol is
great; the Italians and Tyrolese are not
the only people who appreciate the merits
Of these clean-feeding mollusks; in Paris
Burgundian snails are worth one cent
apiece, and 81, 500 worth of snails are dis
posed of In the markets in the course of
. year. Indeed, the establishment of a
special market for the sale of snails is
t6lked of, and the authorities are consid-
ering the expediency of making snails
pay the octroi duty,s very strong evil
dence that they have become a recognized
article Observation-Disclosures and Builder.