Land snails are usually cooked and served as an appetizer and are commonly known as escargot. Helix aspersa or Helix pomatia, found in France generally come under this category. These form an important part of the French cuisine. Helix aspersa are about one third the size of Helix pomatia. However, in America people do not prefer eating this dish since in this country molluscs are eaten. But people love eating it most of the parts of the world.
The best part is that snails are a very good source of protein. They are low in fat content and taste quite well when served with butter sauce. While preparing escargot, the shells of the snails is separated from them and are then cooked. Later these are soaked in ½ cup salt and water and the water is also supposed to be changed at regular intervals. When done with the soaking, put them in cold water and boil it for 8 hours and then drain. Place the snails back into the cold water and drain again. Next, all the black areas of the snail need to be removed. You can cook these in garlic and butter sauce and relish them.
The consumption of the escargots can be dated back to the historic times. The archaeological remains in Florida point to the fact that people have been consuming this since the prehistoric times. The people living in the Mediterranean were fond of the dishes that used snail as the basic ingredient. In fact in Africa, a species of land snail known as the Giant African Snail is eaten as traditional food. In Australia and America escargot is better known as abalone and is eaten as main meal.
Escargots are basically raised in a farm and fed a diet of crushed dry cereals. In fact they are also supposed to have a week for fasting in which they do not consume anything and are washed with warm water. Through this process, taste and safety is maintained. After this period is over, they are either fed salt or boiled in salt water to further empty their stomach of any harmful matter.
Thus, it is really important for people to know that certain snails are edible whereas others are poisonous. The snails which are bred are safe for consumption. However, the wild snails which consume poisonous plants should not be consumed if they aren’t bred. Snails have high nutritional value. These contain about 15 percent protein, 2.4 percent fat and 80 percent water. It also consists of fatty acids such as linoleic acid and linolenic acid.
Escargots can be fresh, frozen or even canned. Proper care should be taken and they should be thawed in the refrigerator. This is important since the prolonged freezer storage can lead to loss of flavour and taste. Thus escargots can be transformed into delicious delicacy if properly taken care of. This is the reason escargots are quite popular everywhere because of their specialties and are easily available.
by 
