snails-msg - 7/3/10

The eating of snails in period. Recipes. Not just the French ate snails. So did the Romans and the Spaniards.

NOTE: See also the files: exotic-meats-msg, seafood-msg, food-sources-msg, eels-msg, peacocks-msg, goat-msg, horse-recipes-msg.

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    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
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Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 21:39:42 -0400
From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)
Subject: Re: SC - snails and other things.

<snip>
>>  Q: When does the earlist recipe for snails occur?
>
>I'd like to hear about this. Anyone got any recipes? I have seen canned
>snails in the grocery store, but didn't have any idea how one would cook
>or eat them. I can very well imagine them being served at a medieval
>feast. Although without forks I'm not sure how to eat them. Perhaps you
>were to dig them out with a knife. Or perhaps they were served to the
>table already out of the shells.
>
>Stefan li Rous

Hello!  A few random tidbits for you...

There are 3 recipes for snails in Apicius.

From Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais, 1483-1553:
'Then he doused the leaves (and pilgrims) with salt, vinegar, and oil, and,
for refreshment before supper, began to eat.  He had already swallowed five
pilgrims and the sixth lay under a leaf, completely invisible save for his
staff, when Grangousier pointed to the latter.
"Look, Gargantua, that's a snail's horn.  Don't eat it!"
"Why not?  Snails are good this month."'

Hartley mentions snails in 'Food in England' & says the large edible
variety was imported by the Romans.  She also mentions periwinkles -
they're removed from their shells when cooked using a pin.

Also, if you count Whelks as being overgrown 'snails', there are a few
recipes in the Harleian MSS. c. 1450.

Cindy/Sincgiefu
renfrow at skylands.net


Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 22:35:04 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - snails and other things.

>>  Q: When does the earlist recipe for snails occur?
>
>I'd like to hear about this. Anyone got any recipes?
>
>Stefan li Rous

The Goodman of Paris has a snail recipe quoted by M.F.K. Fisher in one
of collections of essays.  Mid 14 th century, and probably quite earlier
than that.

Bear


Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1997 17:52:41 -0500 (CDT)
From: alysk at ix.netcom.com (Elise Fleming )
Subject: SC - A Mixed Bag (So to Speak)

Regarding snails: While I myself haven't seen period recipes for 
cooking them I have seen a recipe for a "water" made of snails from 
about 1650.  It also calls for a pound (I believe) of earthworms.

Alys Katharine


Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 10:06:07 -0400
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <harper at idt.net>
Subject: Period snails (was Re: SC - Period Beet Recipe)

And it came to pass on 20 Oct 99,, that Laura C. Minnick wrote:
>  Are there any period recipes for escargot?
> 'Lainie

Granado (1599) gives 2 recipes for snails, along with a description of
how to find and clean them and when to eat them.  One is for frying
them and the other is for a pottage.

Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)


Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 00:27:41 -0400
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <harper at idt.net>
Subject: SC - Period snail recipes

These are the only period Spanish recipes for snails that I have seen.
There are none in de Nola.

Source: Diego Granado, _Libro Del Arte De Cozina_, 1599

Translation: Lady Brighid ni Chiarain of Tethba (Robin Carroll-Mann)

DE LOS CARACOLES -- Of the Snails

There are many sorts of snails, and all have four round horns, with a
little head on top: they are lubricous and xxx and without eyes, and
leave a trail where they pass: they have a shell made of stripes, and
there are large ones and small ones, colored ones and white ones: they
are gathered twice in the year, in Autumn and in the Spring: the little
ones are taken in the month of July, and through all the Autumn on the
grape vines and on other herbs: the best ones are those from fennel.

PARA LIMPIAR, PURGAR, Y CONSERVAR LOS CARACOLES -- To
Clean, Purge, and Preserve the Snails

Take the large snails in the month of February through all of May, and
from August until mid-October: in which times the air is temperate:
although to preserve them do not gather them until after the month of
July, and then put them in a spacious and humid habitation, in which
there are bundles or branches of little trees of fennel, broom, and others,
and then let them go where they will, repeatedly cleaning the habitation
of their dung, because bad odors will cause them to die, and when they
have been for all the month of November in this habitation, finding them
closed will be the signal that they have been purged, and then put them
in barrels, or in other vessels: and in this manner in cool places they are
kept all Winter: also, they are found closed, after having been purged
beneath earthen walls, and in other places with holes.

PARA FREYR CARACOLES, Y GUISARLOS DE DIVERSAS
MANERAS -- To Fry Snails, and Cook Them in Diverse Manners

Take the snails in the Spring, and make them boil: remove them from
the shell, and clean them of their filth, and so that they remain larger,
put them in cold water on the fire, having the vessel closed, and giving it
a temperate fire just until it boils, and upon uncovering the vessel the
greater part of the snails will be found out of their shells: those which
are not will be put in hot water.  Then remove them from the shells as
has been said, and put them in a vessel of copper, or of earthenware,
filled with ground salt, and stir them for a quarter of an hour, until the
viscosity comes out: then wash them with many waters: flour them, and
fry them, and serve them with fried parsley, and cloves of cooked
[boiled] garlic, and after frying serve them with green sauce, or other
flavors on top: but if the snails were preserved, boil them: remove them
from the shell, and fry them.

PARA HAZER POTAJE DE CARACOLES BLANCOS, Y PEQUE=D1OS --
To Make Pottage From Little White Snails

Set the little white snails to soak in tepid water, wash them well of the
dirt or clay, and put them in a vessel with as much tepid water as will
cover two fingers, and make them boil little by little, keeping the vessel
covered: when you see that the snails have come out, add to them oil,
pepper, and salt, cinnamon, saffron, and chopped herbs, and cloves of
garlic, and verjuice, and make it boil for a quarter of an hour, and then
serve them on plates with their broth: and these snails greatly require
mint.

PARA HAZER COSTRADAS DE CARACOLES SACADOS DE LA
CASCARA -- To Make Cakes of Snails Removed from the Shell

Take the snails, well purged, and make them cook in water, in such a
manner that they are well cooked, and remove them from the shell,
taking the best part, and wash them again, and purge them with salt,
and then make them fry with chopped onions, and have ready a tart pan
anointed with cow's butter, with three leaves of very thin pastry, also
anointed with butter between one and another, and the large puff pastry
[tortillon hojaldrado] all around, and upon those is put chopped mint and
marjoram, and raisins, and sprinkle everything with pepper, cloves,
cinnamon, and sugar, and salt, then put in the snails, with an equal
amount of the mixture on top as you put beneath, and sprinkle them
with the same spices.  You can also put a little grated Pinto cheese,
and add a little verjuice, or orange juice, cover it with another two similar
leaves, and some puff-pastry strips on top.  You can cook it in the oven,
or under an earthern pot, serve it hot with sugar and rose water on top.
In this manner you can make a cake, having chopped the snails before
frying them, and on a fast day in place of butter put oil, and in place of
cheese aged walnuts broken and peeled.

Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)


Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 00:47:48 -0400
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <harper at idt.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Period snail recipes

And it came to pass on 21 Oct 99,, that Robin Carroll-Mann wrote:
> There are many sorts of snails, and all have four round horns, with a
> little head on top: they are lubricous and xxx and without eyes, and

Ooops!  "xxx" was my place-holder for the word "resualadizos", which I
cannot find in any of my dictionaries.

Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)


Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 07:28:47 -0600
From: "RANDALL DIAMOND" <ringofkings at mindspring.com>
Subject: SC - Escargot

Found it in Platina.  The darn thing just fell
open to the right page.  Looks pretty much
like Roman cookery.  But I am still interested
in other period sources and different ways
of serving them.   Anyone have a source for
live snails with the big shells like they use in
France?   I would like to try growing my own.

Akim Yaroslavich


Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 11:16:35 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Escargot

RANDALL DIAMOND wrote:
> I am quite familiar with Roman fondness for
> snails, but are there any medieval or Renaissance
> recipes in preparing them?

Pretty sure they appear in Le Menagier, and, later, in Digby. Also, I
think there are periwinkle recipes in one of the 14th-century English
sources. Periwinkles are smaller than escargots, and are a marine snail,
but are more like escargots than like, say, whelks.

Adamantius (who has to check for further detail)


Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 13:04:10 -0500 (EST)
From: Robin Carrollmann <harper at idt.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Escargot

On Tue, 21 Mar 2000, RANDALL DIAMOND wrote:
> But I am still interested in other period sources and different ways
> of serving them.

I think Granado has a recipe for snail pie, but the book is at home and I
can't check right now.

Brighid


Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 18:57:24 -0600
From: Magdalena <magdlena at earthlink.net>
Subject: SC - yet more worms

The Queens Closet Opened
(1655)

The Admirable and Most Famous Snail Water

    Take a peck of garden shell snails, wash them well
in small beer, and put them in a hot oven till they
have done making noise, then take them out, and wipe
them well from the green froth that is upon them, and
bruise them shells and all in a stone Mortar, then take
a quart of earth worms, scower them with salt, slit
them & wash them well with water from their filth, and
in a stone Mortar beat them to pieces, then lay in the
bottom of your distilled pot Angelica two handfuls, and
two handfuls of Celandine upon them, to which put two
quarts of Rosemary flowers, Bears foot, Agrimony, red
Dock Roots, Bark of Barberries, Betony, Wood Sorrel, of
each two handfuls, Rue one handful; then lay the Snails
and worms on the top of the Herbs and Flowers, then
pour on 3 Gallons of the strongest Ale, and let it
stand all night, in the morning put on 3 ounces of
cloves beaten, six penniworth of beaten Saffron and on
top of the 6 ounces of shaved Harts-horn, then set on
the Limbeck, and close it with a paste, and so recieve
the water by pints, which will be nine in all.  The
first is the strongest, whereof take in the morning 2
spoonfuls in 4 spoonfuls of small Beer, and the like in
the afternoon; you must keep a good Diet and use
moderate excersize to warm the blood.

    This Water is good against all Obstructions
whatsoever.  It cureth a Consumption and Dropsie, the
stopping of the Stomach and Liver.  It may be distilled
with milk for weak people and children, with
Harts-tongue and Elecampance.


Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 22:09:50 -0500
From: Daniel Myers <eduard at medievalcookery.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Snails
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

On Feb 10, 2006, at 9:56 PM, Micheal wrote:
> Anyone got a good book on snails in period?

No books, but there's a recipe in Ouverture de Cuisine (France, 1604)
for Snail Pie.

To make snail pies. Take snails that have been well cooked & washed
as appropriate, & cut them largely with a knife, & add nutmeg,
pepper, butter, having been a quarter hour in the oven take four egg
yolks beaten with a little Spanish wine, remove the pie from the
oven, & cast the sauce in the pie, & let it again in the oven for an
"Our Father", & no more.

- Doc


Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:06:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: wheezul at canby.com
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Snails?

<<< I have a few cans of snails left over from our New Year?s celebrations and
thought that it would be fun to play with them at the cook?s encampment at
AnTir West War.
Does anyone have any recipes (preferably after 1450).

Eduardo >>>

Are you interested in a German (Wecker's) version?  Basically it has
instructions on how to clean and prepare the snail itself and the shell. 
The cleaned snails are dried and mixed with salt, pepper, a little clove,
and well chopped parsley. A spoonful of meat stock with a little wine or
vinegar and "a good piece of sweet butter" are put into the cleaned
shells, and then the seasoned snail back in.  It is cooked in a wide flat
"kachel" (better than on the grill it says)in a meat stock over  coals and
with coals heating the top of the dish on a lid or support.  They should
cook as long as it takes to cook as eggs.  They are served hot with a side
brew that contains the filling ingredients and whatever is left from the
cooking poured over the top if you are serving on a plate.  Or you can
serve them in the kachel, which is an earthenware pot of some sort (and
also the word for an oven). One can also optionally keep them warm by
setting them in a pastry shell.

If you are interested and would like, I could attempt to translate the
passage as written.  You can see the transcription on Gloning's page
"Weiter von den Schnecken" in part 4 of Anna Wecker's cookbook.

Katherine


Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:40:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: wheezul at canby.com
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Snails? [More German Recipes]

<<< I have a few cans of snails left over from our New Year?s celebrations and
thought that it would be fun to play with them at the cook?s encampment at
AnTir West War.
Does anyone have any recipes (preferably after 1450).

Eduardo >>>

Hi Eduardo,
I found a few more German snail recipes in Rontzier?s ?Kunstbuch von
Mancherley Essen? (1598).  I'd be interested if Ranvaig found any in
Rumpolt and if these are plagiarized?

Still no garlic, but after seeing this, it seems that the seasoning of the
snails is rather free form.  I do like the idea of a presentation in the
shell.

There are two sections, one for large snails, the other for small ones.

Large snails
There are instructions for cleaning.
1.	The first recipe is similar to Wecker's - chopped parsley, butter,
pepper and served in the shell ? salted at the table.
2.	The snails are mixed with rosemary and butter, and then cooked in a pot
with venison stock, cut lemons, peppers, grated bread, butter and stewn
with salt and pepper at service.
3.	Lime, majoram, butter, pepper and whole mace (one assumes same prep as
#2?).
4.	Fry/bake snails in butter, lay them over pomegranate [seeds] and pour
wine over them.  Force pomegranate through a hair cloth ?  serve when sour
enough strewn with salt and pepper.
5.	Chopped chervil, salt, pepper, served in shell with stock and wine
mixture.

Small Snails
1.	Boil, wash with salt and water, put in pot with milk, fresh butter and
pepper.  (Can put a bit of water on them)
2.	Fried in butter, add mace, pepper and a bit of vinegar, strew with salt
at service.
3.	Fried with cut apples and onions in butter ? add pepper or strew it on
at service.
4.	Snails stewed with added wine and fresh butter, plus pepper and ground
ginger.  Strew with ginger and salt on service.

So many options!

Katherine

<the end>
Edited by Mark S. Harris	snails-msg	Page 8 of 8