May 22, 2014 WALKS IN HISTORY: Eating “caracoles” By J.A. Pilares no longer sees the fields around the cities full of children in this manner, thankfully, but snails are still eaten. Not as a poor substitute for meat, but as a delicatessen, as a dish that can only be eaten during a few weeks in the spring. Snails today are raised in much the same way that Fluvius Hirpinus did in Roman times; in specialized farms, where their diet and environment are controlled. Many of these farms actually clean the snails before shipping them, and some also freeze them to sterilize any bugs or viruses that they could carry with them. Snails are usually cooked in large caldrons, as it is unviable to make small pots considering all the work that goes into cleaning them, which means that they are usually just seen in bars or in big family events. My own uncle, Paco, is a great snail-chef and has his own secret mix of spices that make his snails unique. He lives near to Gibraltar and his use of spices clearly shows the influence of Moorish cuisine in Andalusian dishes. If you ever go to Granada (and Granada is a city that one MUST visit in a lifetime) you have to try the snails in “Bar Aliatar (Los caracoles)” in plaza Aliatar, in the Albaicín quarter; there the snails are cooked in a sauce made from tomatoes, cayenne peppers and almonds; delicious. And here in Rota… the best I have tried are from “Bar Bigote” in calle Medina del Campo, next to the swimming pool. The local recipes are not too spicy, but “Bigote” makes his snails particularly tasty. So, you might wonder, what does a snail taste like? Well, to say the truth, nothing really. Snails are just like shellfish, they taste like whatever you put into their sauce. If you ever brave up and decide to try them just think that: they are the same as shellfish… only that these are “land” shellfish.
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Last spring I was introducing a British friend to eating tapas in Granada when I took him up to Bar Aliatar. He had tried along the way many different tapas, but when he was faced with a bowl of snails in tomato and almond sauce he began getting cold feet about trying new things. I just told him “Close your eyes and think of England”. He laughed, went on to it… and before I knew it he was getting a second bowl all for himself.
eople everywhere love spring. To some because of the longer days, others enjoy the warmer climate and don fewer clothes… in Andalusia there are plenty of reasons. The blooming orange trees scent the streets in Seville, the patios in Córdoba and Granada become the centers of social life, and many enjoy in bars and taverns the delicatessen of spring: snails. To an American, eating a snail could seem something disgusting… but like Timon and Pumba would say: “Slimy, but satisfying”. Snails in Spain and Portugal are usually cooked in a sauce made with tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and several spices. The French eat them too, in a butter, parsley and garlic sauce, calling the “escargots”. I prefer the Iberian recipe, if I may. Snails, or “caracoles” have been a staple of Mediterranean cuisine since at least the Bronze Age; as the large amounts of snail shells accumulated in ancient garbage dumps seem to suggest.The Roman writer Pliny the Elder tells us that a Fluvius Hirpinus built a farm to raise snails near Tarquinia (near Rome) in 50 BCE. For most poor people, snails were a cheap source of protein that could be simply gathered in the fields or hedges around towns. People that could hardly, if ever, afford to buy meat could in this way supplement their diet which was usually based on grains, legumes and vegetables. This custom has continued on to our days. My own parents in their childhoods would head out in the spring to capture snails which to include in the family menu. The snails could be added to soups, rice, porridge or eaten by themselves. Today one
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