Types of Escargot
Buying the proper escargots is difficult. Most escargot sold and served in restaurants are an inferior type that is not intended for human consumption (though not unsafe - merely unpalatable). Typically they are swamp snails from far eastern countries like Indonesia or Thailand, although some indicate France as the country of origin.
The true escargot snail is a land dweller and has a sweet meadowy taste as opposed to the swampy taste that the inferior types have. Often the flavour is masked with heavy seasoning. Restaurant escargot are usually served Bourgogne style with garlic butter, but with an excessive amount of garlic to mask the unpleasant taste of the otherwise swampy tasting snails.
The two types of snails usually offered for consumption are the
Helix and the
Achatine. The two kinds of
Helix snails offered — the Burgundy (
Helix pomatia) and the Petit Gris (
Helix aspersa) — are the true escargot snails that have been consumed for centuries. (A third type is discussed below in the "Buying Escargot" section.)
These are land dwellers that eat green vegetation. The other kind of snail is the
Achatine which is a swamp dweller. Not surprisingly the taste of each is reflected in the environment in which it lives.
The two can be distinguished by the size of the foot or, more properly, the "pedicule" in relation to the size of its body. As you can see in the picture below, the
Achatine snail has a very large pedicule in relation to the size of its body.
So, look for the small pedicule of the
Helix - as seen in the right diagram below:
Buying Escargot
When buying escargot, the labeling can help identify the type of snail to be sure you are getting the correct one.
POINTS TO NOTE:
1) If the escargot does not come from France, it is likely NOT the
Helix (i.e., the good) type.
Most are labelled merely as "escargot" or "snails". If the escargot are from France then French labeling laws require that
the producer clearly indicate the kind of snail used. The label will
indicate whether the escargot is
Helix or
Achatine. Price is usually
a good indicator as well:
Helix snails are typically at least twice the
price of
Achatine.
2) If the label says "Helix" then they may be good quality but you should do some research to see if they are really helix snails.
There are however two types of Helix sold in France:
Helix pomatia and
Helix lucorum.
Helix lucorum is similar to
Helix pomatia but is tougher.
Helix lucorum is often imported into France from Turkey for sale there. So, the preferred type is
Helix pomatia.
3) The tendency for canned snails seems to be toward larger and larger snails.
That is why you typically now see only "very large" and "extra large". Unfortunately, smaller snails are more tender, and merely "large" let alone medium or small snails are hard to find.
Because these large snails are of inferior quality compared to the smaller, domestic snails, they are re-exported from France - these are the snails that typically are available in North America. But because they are still
Helix snails, the label on a container would not make a distinction between these inferior snails and the Burgundy and Petis Gris type of
Helix. Though larger and not as tender as the domestic Helix, these snails are still far superior to the Achatine.
So to sum up:
Buy escargot from France and make sure it is
Helix, and particularly try to buy
Helix pomatia if the label indicates.
Resources:
Books
Escargots from your garden to your table. François Picart (Santa Rosa, CA: F.Picart Snails, 1978)
Snails from garden to table. Frances Herb, Coralie Castle and Carrie Domogalla (Calistoga, CA: Illumiation Press, 1990)
Les escargots: connaissance, élevage. H. Chevallier (Paris: Rustica, 1995)
l’escargot helix aspersa: biologie-élevage. J.-C. Bonnet, P. Aupinel, and J.-L. Vrillon (Versailles: INRA, 1990)
Links
Escargot Passion - breeding and farming information.
Frescargot - breeding and farming information - videos.
