La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
On the way home from the paint shop Saturday, we stopped for something to drink. I was hoping for coffee but we would have been nearly home before we found a café. The neighborhood hosts mostly small bars that don’t serve coffee at that time of day (early afternoon). So we stopped at a stall and ordered Cokes (Zero Zero, no caffeine, no sugar).
It turns out the stall sold snails (caracoles in Spanish), a tradition for thousands of years in Córdoba with a season some time between February and June. In 2014, archaeologists discovered a hearth with the remains of a meal of snails dating back 30,000 years, which makes Spain the first country in Europe to have eaten snails this way.
Farmers place rubble and tiles in fallow fields where snails thrive and, after the spring rains, they turn the tiles and harvest the snails. This year, the season started early, 14 February, and runs until 8 June, with 34 stalls spread around the city. We had no idea.
I had passed the stall before but didn’t register what it was selling, only wondering why it was there. Of course, San Geraldo had to try some. There were way too many choices, but we noticed most people ordering a glass filled with small snails (caracoles chicos), so that’s what he had. A common way to serve the snails is in a mild broth of garlic, cumin, bay leaves, black pepper, and mint. There’s also a spicy version with citrus rind, cayenne pepper, and onions. We watched others and saw that they drank off the liquid and then sucked the snails into their mouths before tossing the shells into a red plastic bowl available on every table. I didn’t find the idea very appetizing.
I watched San Geraldo scoop out his first snail from the broth with a spoon. The broth was hot, he said. After a good slurpy suck, he smiled and said it was delicious. I tried one, only to say I had. It was surprisingly good but I don’t like sucking strange things into my mouth. Especially when I don’t know where they’ve been. Well… Never mind.
For €1.80, it was a generous glassful. SG ate about half and enjoyed them. He used a toothpick for some stubborn ones. But he couldn’t get himself to drink the liquid even though he didn’t mind the taste. I’m glad I tried before SG showed me one with its antennae intact. That was enough for me. Besides, isn’t a snail just a slug with a roof over its head? Are you a snail eater?
De camino a casa desde la tienda de pintura el sábado, paramos a tomar algo. Esperaba un café, pero ya casi habíamos llegado a casa cuando encontramos una cafetería. El barrio suele estar lleno de bares pequeños que no sirven café a esa hora (a primera hora de la tarde). Así que paramos en un puesto y pedimos Coca-Cola (Zero Zero, sin cafeína ni azúcar).
Resulta que el puesto vendía caracoles, una tradición milenaria en Córdoba, con una temporada entre febrero y junio. En 2014, arqueólogos descubrieron un hogar con restos de una comida de caracoles de hace 30.000 años, lo que convierte a España en el primer país de Europa en comer caracoles de esta forma.
Los agricultores colocan escombros y tejas en campos en barbecho donde los caracoles prosperan y, tras las lluvias de primavera, les dan la vuelta a las tejas y los recogen. Este año, la temporada empezó temprano, el 14 de febrero, y se extiende hasta el 8 de junio, con 34 puestos repartidos por la ciudad. No teníamos ni idea.
Había pasado por delante del puesto antes, pero no me fijé en lo que vendía; solo me preguntaba por qué estaba allí. Por supuesto, San Geraldo tenía que probar algunos. Había demasiadas opciones, pero vimos que la mayoría de la gente pedía un vaso lleno de caracoles chicos, así que eso fue lo que pidió. Una forma común de servir los caracoles es en un caldo suave de ajo, comino, laurel, pimienta negra y menta. También hay una versión picante con ralladura de cítricos, pimienta de cayena y cebolla. Observamos a otros y vimos que bebían el líquido y luego se llevaban los caracoles a la boca antes de echar las conchas a un cuenco rojo de plástico disponible en cada mesa. La idea no me pareció muy apetecible.
Observé a San Geraldo sacar su primer caracol del caldo con una cuchara. El caldo estaba caliente, dijo. Después de un buen sorbo, sonrió y dijo que estaba delicioso. Probé uno, solo para decir que sí. Estaba sorprendentemente bueno, pero no me gusta meterme cosas raras en la boca. Sobre todo cuando no sé dónde han estado. Bueno… Da igual.
Por 1,80 €, fue un vaso generoso. SG se comió la mitad y los disfrutó. Usó un palillo para algunos que se resistían. Pero no pudo beber el líquido, aunque no le molestaba el sabor. Me alegro de haberlo intentado antes de que SG me enseñara uno con las antenas intactas. Me bastó. Además, ¿acaso un caracol no es solo una babosa con techo? ¿Acaso come caracoles?
Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. NOPE!
Debra:
I’ll take that as a No.
Wait, those snails look like the ones I get on the leaves here. Who knew they were food? well, maybe as a last resort. I don’t think I’m a fan. It’s like raw oysters, I tried and that was a lifetime supply. Sg is intrepid. Boud
Boud:
I tried ONE raw oyster, too. Like eating snot. The snail was fine, but the idea, for me at least, is not.
HELL NO, not even at gunpoint!
Tundra Bunny:
I surprised myself by trying it. Not sorry I did. And it was actually good, if I didn’t think about. Will probably never do it again.
I tried one once and that was enough.
And if someone ever put a glass filled with snails in front of me there would be hell to pay.
As Debra sais: Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. NOPE!
Bob:
This once was enough for me. It tasted good. I think I have PTSD.
Well, there goes breakfast. Yuck. I’m not eating anything I could scrape from my shoes. Or has antenna.
Mistress Borghese:
You have such a way with words!
What an interesting local tradition. I’d have tried them, but I must say I’m not usually a fan of snails. They’re a bit rubbery. I bought a platter of murex snails in Barcelona and I pretty much hated them.
That one looks like it’s about to crawl away!
Steve:
Apparently, you’re not supposed to chew them. I didn’t and therefore don’t know if it was rubbery. I’m glad I can say I tried one. That was enough for me.
I ate escargots in garlic butter many years ago, when I was braver. Make that one escargot. I didn’t find it appetizing when the instructions were, “don’t chew”. My dad owned a greenhouse, and I was frequently on slug duty, so let’s just say, once was enough!
Bonnie in Minneapolis
Bonnie in Minneapolis:
I have always turned away from escargot. Glad I can finally now offer an experienced “No thanks.”
Have you ever eaten crawfish? Similar technique. “Suck the head and eat the tail.”
Hmmmmm….
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
I like crawfish!
I’ll pass on the snails!! Thank you very much!
Jim:
Have ever tried it? I surprised myself. And from now on I’ll pass.
😝
Jssw:
Perfect reaction! You can probably find them all over your neighborhood.
Oh my! And people only ever connect snails to France! Who knew!?? I had no idea this was a thing in Spain. Very interesting! I won’t go out of my way to have snails, but I ate them once (here in the U.S., at a fancy restaurant where I was a server). Chewy, not bad tasting, and the best part was the yummy sauce that they were served with (kind of like how my brother-in-law said cold shrimp were really, for him, just a delivery tool for the cocktail sauce). Seeing the little antenna, though? Naaaaaah.
Judy C:
Big surprise to us, too. I’ve always said No to escargot. I still will. But I read you’re not supposed to chew.
I have had baked escargot in France, the same basic critter, but larger. The French use lots of butter and garlic. I will try anything, once, twice if it doesn’t bite back. We had haggis today.
Would I eat a snail? Maybe after I’ve finished the green eggs and ham.
Kirk:
I would not eat that Sam-I-Am.
David:
Ew, ew, ew, haggis!
Sure, I’d eat a snail or two. I actually have in Hawaii. Not bad. The important question is, however, did it taste like chicken?
Deedles:
I’m stunned. I expected some hilarious description of why not! It didn’t taste like chicken. But then I don’t know what it tasted like because I swallowed it whole.
Swallowing it whole is a plus for me, Scoot. I have no teeth, do there’s that. Npw, I wouldn’t touch a raw oyster or a monkfish with any size pole!
Deedles,
Monkfish is possibly the most delicious fish I’ve ever had. Better to not look at one whole. Raw oysters, blech! I still can’t believe you like slugs!
First of all, Scoot honey, “delicious fish” is an oxymoron! Secondly, slugs! I refuse to eat homeless snails! I’m snobby that way.
Deedles:
Such an elitist. I’m surprised.
I had escargot in garlic butter at a restaurant once. It was like chewing on a pencil eraser. I’m afraid I’ve put out too much snail bait in my garden to kill the critters to even think about having them as a meal now.
Besides, what about Spongebob’s pet, Gary? The one with the intact antennae made me think of him.
TexasTrailerParkTrash:
You just swallow the little ones whole. So I have no idea if I ate a pencil eraser. Yeah, after seeing that intact one, I don’t think I could do it again. Especially now that I’m picturing Gary!
🤢 Thank you, but no.
Kelly:
I keep thinking of the ones I accidentally stepped on when I lived in Marina del Rey.
Lumps of snot
finlaygray:
That’s how I describe raw oysters!
I enjoy snails, especially around the holidays (for some reason). As you probably know, the French way to serve them is drowned in a garlic butter sauce. Yum! The French also like sea snails, but I don’t like them so much.
Walt the Fourth:
I knew you guys would enjoy snails, and expected you might be the only commenters to say so. But you’ve got some company here, admittedly very little company, but still you’re not alone.
I am glad I had finished my breakfast before I saw those snail photos!! No thank you.
Frances
Frances:
Looking back, I’m not feeling so well.
Oh escargots a delicacy, soak up the broth with some nice bread. What a life of luxury you live.
Laurent,
Oh, I KNEW you’d like escargot!