Prehistoric sites have uncovered piles of snail shells, indicating they were eaten early on by man. The Romans loved this delicacy and even cultivated special vineyards on which the snails could feed and fatten. The first French recipe for snails was written around 1390, and by the 16th century, escargot had become a popular banquet dish.
The Achatine snail originated in East Africa, but, through commerce and trade, has spread into Asia where it is now commercially bred. These snails can grow quite large, weighing up to a pound! For the purpose of escargot, they are cultivated to the same size as the European Helix snail that westerners have been eating for centuries.
Imported from Indonesia, this product enables you to make escargot at home. Each can contains 96 Achatine snails (unshelled) preserved in a brine of water, salt, pepper, laurel, cloves and citric acid. Easy to prepare, just put each snail in a shell and garnish with a butter sauce. Put them in the oven and serve as soon as the butter starts to sizzle.
Shells are sold separately.