Snails are mollusks found in sea coasts, fresh water, and land. Other names of snails area abalone, escargot, caracoles, queen conch, periwinkle snail, tsalingaria, ass’s ear shell, sea-ear, ormer, paua, and marine snail.

Snails have been used for human food consumption for thousands years, and their shell for jewelry. Snails belong to about 100 species. Depending on location, different species are used as source of food. Commonly eaten snails include: Helix pomatia and Helix aspersa.

In the western world snail meals are generally known as Escargot—a French word for snail.

Snail as a Food for Humans

Snail is reared in commercial farms for its meat and shell. Snail meat is a delicacy in Asian cuisine, Japanese and Chinese in particular. The French delight escargot as an appetizer. Where as in the Americas and Australia, where it is commonly also called abalone, it is consumed also as main meal. In Africa, such as Nigeria and South Africa, land snail called Giant African Snail is also a traditional food. Snail recipes vary from cuisine to cuisine.

Studies on the nutritional value of snail report that it is high in protein but low in fat contents. It is 15% protein, 2.4% fat and about 80% water. This makes snail healthy alternative food for people with high protein low fat diet requirements. Besides, snail is high in health benefiting essential fatty acids such as linoleic acids and linolenic acids.

A study on a snail species in Brazil estimated that 75% of the total fat in snail is unsaturated fatty acids and 23.25% of saturated fatty acids. Of the unsaturated fat, 57% is polyunsaturated fatty acids and 15.5% of monounsaturated fatty acids.

Nutrional Value of Snail

Table: Detailed list of nutrients and their content in raw, snail. Nutrient values and weights are for edible portion.

mcg = micrograms.

References:

Su, X. Q., Antonas, K. N., and Li, D. 2004. Comparison of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid contents of wild and cultured Australian abalone. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 55(2): 149 - 154 .

Saldanha, T., Gaspar, A., Santana, D. M. da. N. 2001. Composition of meat from the snail (Achatina Fulica) produced in Iguape, SP. Higiene-Alimentar, 15(85): 69-74.

US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Nutrient Data Laboratory. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28. Version Current: September 2015.