The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-24
A DISH or SNAILS.
Profits In snails of More Than 1000 900
Francs Annually.

Francs Annually.
IL may surprise many readers TO learr
that the common garden snail, regarded
as an unmitigated pest by agriculturist,
in this country, is used for food by
thousands Of persons, and when properly
cooked is esteemed dainty dish by epi'
cures in all the great cities of the world.
Not only is this the case in foreign coun-
tries, where the overcrowding Of the
population renders it obligatory that
everything edible should be eaten, but
here in America, where in New York
the arrival of the French steamers with
their cargoes of snails is an event of i'm
portance in gastronomic circles, and the
leading French restaurants advertise the
dish as a special attraction. Like other
homely animals which serve for food,
| the snail changes his name when he
comes to the table and takes the French
title.
Thus, as the pig becomes pork, the OK
beef and the sheep mutton, the snail fig
ures on bills of fare as l'escargot, o
much more imposing designation. Like
many other dishes esteemed by epicures,
it comes to us by way of France from
Italy, for the French, who are the mas
tiers of the world in cookery, learned the
art originally from the Italians. The
ancient Romans, whose emperors and
mobiles lived to eat, and who not infre-
quently spent fortune ON single feast,
considered l'escargot a choice deli
cacy. Pliny mentioned it as among the
table luxuries of his day, and Apicius, in
treatise ON cookery, enumerates sew
eral ways of cooking the dish, the most
extravaganza being with sauce of sweet
herbs, milk, butter, cheese, boiled wine,
wheat -four and saffron
L'escargot has always been regarded
as nutritious and wholesome. In the
middle ages he was used as medicine
and pounded in mortar. Stewed in
milk, he was regarded as specific in
lung diseases. He has always been eaten
in the south of France, where he does
immense damage to the vines, and the
grape growers are glad to be rid of him
and make money at the same time by
sending him to market Indeed, he
forms AN important source of revenue,
and his yearly sales in Paris alone are
said to approximate 1000, 600 francs
While he feeds chiefly on the grape leaf,
he is also fond of cabbages, and indeed,
will eat any green herb or tender leaf.
For this reason the snails, when gath
cred, are always placed in casks and
kept without food in cool place for at
least two months in order to purify
them. They have fancy for both hem
lock and belladonna, and cases of poison
ing sometimes occur as result of eating |
snails which have not been properly |
cleansed-i. e., starved-before being |
brought to table He is classed by the |
dealers as among shellfish and is in
great demand as Lenten delicacy.
Heaps Of them are exposed for sale on
the counters at the halles, side by side
with Holsters and crawfish, for the craw-
fish is another French dainty. 1t has
long been the custom in Bordeaux to go
on Ash Wednesday to the commune of
Canderan, which is noted for its oscar
goteries (snail farlns) to feast upon es-
cargot by way of winding up the car
|
Along the Cote d Or and in the lower
Alps snail picking furnishes employ
ment to hundreds Of people and is car
ried on much as berry picking. In the
early morning, when the Shiny trail of
the snail glistens wherever he has crawl
ed during the night, the pickers go forth
with baskets and pals. They find the
'nails i'll damp places, resting ON the
under surface of leaves and veins and
gather them just as the farmers bow
picks dewberries or huckleberries. These
ire snails of natural growth, wild snails.
we would say.
But snalls are largely cultivated for
he market, and one farm near Dion is
ald TO clear 1000 francs a year from
is snails, which are fed upon cabbage
md clover. There are many large snail
III the cantons of Switzerland,
ND Ulm has for many years been ia
nous Tor It's escargoteries Great num-
ers OF snails come to Spain, and the
dldl from the African states bordering
n the Mediterranean, bushels of them
ENG exported from Algiers every week
uring the season.
You will find them on the bill of fare
every restaurant in Paris, or you may
ny them in the markets, either alive or q
oiled IN strong salt and vinegar water
nd drawn from the shell all ready for 9
boxing, In which state the Partisan I
ousekeeper prefers them, and in which
ne pays cent apiece for them. =
, Eat. i