The escargot dish that most people are familiar with is Escargot a la Bourguignonne. This is snail served in its own shell and seasoned with butter and herbs. I have never had escargot, but people rave about it. They say that escargot has a "special and exquisite flavor and a delicate, tender texture." The snail "meat" dissolves in your mouth. To eat the snail, use a small two-dented fork and a pincer, and hold the shell with the pincer while removing the snail meat with a fork. Drink the sauce directly from the shell, and use white bread or buttered white toast to wipe the shell clean. Eat the bread, of course! Don't waste a drop! Not only are they tasty, they are a great source of protein and nutrients.
Now that I've perked your interest (and probably taste buds) for escargot, let's turn to the real "nitty-gritty". Yep- they are a bit gritty! You can't just pick up a snail from your garden or even pop one of those Gros-Gris snails into your mouth and eat it. There is a process to a good snail meal. First, you have to "purge" them, cleaning out their digestive system. Usually this means that the live snail is starved to death-going about two weeks without food. This information was enough for me to avoid escargot, but if you are interested in more along these lines click on the link below. The article "A Snail's Pace" by Lorraine Smorol has more than just this on escargot. It's very informative and worth a look:
http://newtimes.rway.com/1996/110696/eat...
Since this series is about the LIFE of your seafood, let's look at that. A snail begins life as an egg. The shell develops from the egg's surface membrane. The shell grows with the snail. When the shell has a "flare" or lip at the opening, the snail will be fully mature and the shell will stop growing. If it is too dry and hot, the snail hibernates by sealing its shell until the weather becomes cooler and more humid. This is called "estivation". The snail will seal itself to the surface of a tree trunk, post or wall.
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