What Does Escargot Taste Like?

In the world of food and drink we often hear words that we don’t quite understand.

In French cuisine, one word you might hear a lot is escargot. However, if you’ve never tried escargot, you might not know what it is.

The fact you find yourself reading this post tells us you haven’t. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the perfect place.

In today’s post, we’ll tell you precisely what escargot is, what it tastes like, and how to prepare it.

If you’re keen to try something new, make sure you keep reading because we’re going to open your eyes to one of the most interesting things you can eat!

What Is Escargot?

Before we look at what escargot tastes like, you probably need to know what it is. Eaten on special occasions, escargot is a famous French cuisine that we might better recognize as snails.

Served with butter, snails may seem like a strange thing to eat but they are actually super delicious. Most French restaurants consider escargot to be a delicacy.

The type of snail eaten in France is called Helix pomatia. France eats a whopping 60 tons of this type of snail every year.

It may sound like a niche food to eat, but escargot is famous across large parts of Europe and Africa.

Other nations that eat escargot include Greece, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and Algeria.

Is Escargot Safe To Eat?

If you’re interested in trying Escargot, you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s safe to eat. The type of snail used to make an escargot dish is safe to consume.

It’s even full of healthy nutrients that are important for our bodies.

Having said that, there are a handful of health risks that can make it unsuitable for pregnant women. Therefore, escargot should always be purchased from a reputable source.

How Does Escargot Taste?

While the thought of eating snails might put some people off the idea of escargot, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the taste. Despite their slimy appearance, snails taste pretty good.

People tend to compare the taste of escargot to a range of different things.

Some people say escargot has a seafood taste like clams. On the other hand, some people compare the taste to chicken.

Others have even noted that it has a mushroomy taste to it too. Overall, escargot offers a varied flavor that most people enjoy.

What About The Texture?

One of the biggest factors that put people off eating escargot is the texture. You wouldn’t be alone if you thought escargot had a slimy and quite unpleasant texture, however, it doesn’t.

When prepared well, escargot has a chewy texture but it’s surprisingly smooth.

Nutritional Information

Snail meat is an excellent source of nutrients and it doesn’t contain that many calories. In a 3-ounce serving of escargot, you can expect it to contain approximately 76 calories.

One serving of snail meat will also contain roughly 14 grams of protein.

Snail meat is also a good source of iron, zinc, Vitamin E, and calcium. Escargot doesn’t contain that many carbohydrates or fats either.

It might also be worth noting that escargot is completely free from sugar.

How To Prepare Escargot

Preparing snail meat isn’t too difficult but it does have to be done well. The most important thing you need to do when preparing escargot is clean the meat well.

By purging the escargot first, you can guarantee any unnecessary content in the snails is gone.

To do this, peel away the snail meat from the shell and remove the tail and skin. Then, clean the snails and put them back in the shell with butter, garlic, and other herbs.

The rest is easy. All you have to do to cook snail meat is place it in an oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, they are ready to be served.