Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-04-11
END OF SNAIL SEASON.
Tear by Year Their Consumption IL
creases-Most of Them from France.

eIeaseS-MoSt OF Them from France.
With this month the snail trade closes
uItil the chill of next autumn's first
frost. Like oysters they are not edible
after their shells open and those who
dote upon the succuent little morsels are
Gemoaning their enforced deprivation.
For the last fifteen years the demand in
this country has steadily increased. At
the height of the season il amounts TO
between 10000 and 10000 a week, 10000
OF these being consumed in New York
city and almost as many more III New
Orleans. Practically all of them come
from burgundy and the Bordeaux dis
trlct. France. y quantity Of Snails Is
consumed IN England and other Euro
pean countries, but they are raised there
for home consumption only.
Snail feaStS are Seld in many rural dis
trlctS as soon Il : the early frOStS have
driven the little creatures into their spiral
homes and the tiny white doors are sealed
across the opening Before that they are
stop disporting on the green grape leaves
and compose themselves for their winter 5
long nap they get fat and juicy.
The edible variety lives wholly on the
gr&peleaf and are designated as escarg0tS
die vignes. Old vineyards are often given
over To their culture, as they prove a
more lucrative export than wine.
OF late years SnailS have been extern
sively used as diet for consumptiyes,
the mucous substance of which the snail
is composed having been discovered to be
capable of rapidly supplying the wasted
tissue. Preferably. for this purpose. they
are taken raw. in their own liquid. but
for those who value their lives. but not at
such a price, they may be eaten after
having been scalded in hot milk. For
expectation to this country they are
packed i'll straw, sawdust or bran, any
1
of the Shells and shipped in bags and
baskets. which are kept continually on
ice during transportation. A half hours
warmth would cause every little door to
swing back and every little horned head
| to peep 1nqulrlngly out to see if spring
| had really come. In this event the
| slightest movement of the bag or ba Sket
would mean a general massacre and the
| loss of many dollars. The wholesale
| price is S1.JO a hundred, the retail in
| restaurants 30 cents dozen They are
usually served as "burre d'escargotS. p"
which means that they have been taken
out of the shells, the head taken off Tor
! literally pulled out, carrying with it all
| that is not edible about the tiny ply
sique), and then. plus butter, condiments,
| spices and oils, returned TO the shell
again. Specially designed platters with
| little circular depressons are used to
serve these snails and they are eaten with
|
affair for holding the shell, and a fork
on the order of a nutpick for drawing the
| little creature out from its house.
| Snails are also used as a salad. For
this they are parboiled and served ice
cold. with ordinary salad dressing One
| Frenchwoman. who delights in the flavor
of this dish, says. however, that she al
| ways partakes of il with her eyes shut
Another. the wife of an epicure who con
| Sidered an appetite for snails the foun-
| dation of all culture. could never be in
| duced to taste them. Bewaiing this de-
! fection of his wife one day to NJ. Moquin.
| the latter undertook to accomplish the
| desired result. Some DAYS later the over
| faStidi0uS wife walked into the restau-
rant and wanted to know what they had
that was new. Roman scallops." replied
NJ. Moquin promptly. with wink to the
| waiter the most delicious morses yon
ever put in Your mouth. If you will al
| low me | will sit here and have Il plate
with you" Snails were served. and the
OverfaStidious woman found them defect
| able and could not say enough in praise
Of the new "Roman scallops" When.
| however. some hours later she learned
the humiliating truth from her triumph
ant spouse, she is reported to have
promptly fallen i'll, saying that she had
felt like death" ever since eating "the
| Shiny things"