seb@mtgzy.UUCP (s.e.badian) (02/15/86)
A while back Phil Ngai asked if the snails in his yard in California are edible. While thumbing through one of my gardening books I happened to come upon some information on those common brown snails. (I remember stepping all over them walking down the street in Palo Alto during the rainy season. Yuk!) It seems that those little brown snails are the same snails as those in France. They were introduced in CA to start a snail growing industry. Seems the little buggers took to CA just a little too well. So, if you purify them buy feeding them lettuce and cornmeal, you should be able to eat them. The author of the book is from Los Altos, so I imagine she's seen quite a few of the little devils herself. Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzy!seb
fine@nmtvax.UUCP (Andrew J Fine) (02/21/86)
DON'T EAT WILD SNAILS!!!!!!!! I seem to recall reading somewhere that wild snails often serve as an intermediate host for parasite worms, that can and usually do invade human physiology! These parasites are deadly, so take no chances whatever. Andrew Jonathan Fine
rlb@riacs.ARPA (Bob Brown) (02/24/86)
Eating "wild" snails, if you live in northern California, is just fine. Eating them raw, on the other hand, doesn't seem wise. I have been raising snails for some time, and have eaten them well cooked. My snails come from my garden and friends' gardens; in fact, Phil Ngai, the originator of all this, has contributed to my herd. If you are interested in more information on raising and cooking snails, send an SASE to Snail Club of America 187 N. Duke Avenue Fresno, CA 93727 A year's membership in SCA costs $30, which buys you a monthly newletter and access to Ralph Tucker, the President, if you want more information. The article from NMT about parasites seems unfounded. The preparation for inclusion in recipes has you boiling these Enfant Riant Escargot for almost four hours, which would kill any parasitic worm. Bob
seb@mtgzy.UUCP (s.e.badian) (02/24/86)
If this is so, why aren't all the French dead? We're not talking about eating raw snails here. If you cook the little devils well, you should kill everything that's living in them, including little worms. I can see not eating raw molluscs of any kind since most of them carry parasites. But after they're cooked all those parasites should be dead. We eat pork and chicken cooked, but the parasites in them would kill you if you ate them raw. Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzy!seb