# Snail caviar



## [email protected] (Apr 20, 2009)

Hi there have you seen Bizarre Food/Andrew Zimmern 'Paris' I am looking for the snails that they use to make snail caviar? looking for land snails.


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## Peter Clausen (Apr 20, 2009)

I was buying plants for my garden a couple weekends ago and there was one on a pot of pansies. It was the escargot variety. I talked to the nursery owner and he may have been trying to pass the buck, but he suggested they came up with the pansy shipment from California. I did my best to look for more (have a friend writing a gastropod book), but couldn't find them. Then, I went home and set the new plants on my back deck for a bit. Snail was gone when I remembered to go back out and get it! I'll ask where to get them and get back to you (of course, I will probably PM you when I find out...send me a PM if I don't!). I collected about six interesting snails for the book/research on a hike today (as well as some interesting super-micropod-isopods and some bristletails that I'll attempt to culture and undboutedly fail with).

I personally wouldn't call escargot very bizarre, though. That's one of my favorite shows!

Escargot is wonderful, by the way! If you like garlic butter and have an open mind, what's not to like?


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## [email protected] (Apr 20, 2009)

Hay Peter have you seen that Paris show its too cool, and I have something odd I'v been keeping they came from egg case of guaya orange spots 'more then one'' they are little very little cream snails with legs and i don't know what they are, or if they are little guaya orange spots .

The snails they had on the show where big real big and the egg where as big as fish caviar.


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## Peter Clausen (Apr 20, 2009)

I've not seen the Paris show, but they run reruns all the time. I'll see it soon, I'm sure! We just had cable hooked back up again last week, after a year of (re)creating appreciation for it among our children  

I'd be interested in seeing a photo of your snail-roaches!

You may be confusing the common names of two roaches(?) there. Are you referring to Blaptica dubia or Eublaberus posticus?

I'm not familiar with the snail caviar...well, maybe I did see that show actually...wait...no! I think I'm confusing that with the octopus or squid roe. I dunno...it all looks good to me. That show always makes me hungry (okay, allllmost always)!

The escargot snail I saw a couple of weeks ago was comparable in size to the ones I've eaten (size of a quarter). I collected two snails today that were larger than this. Colorful ones (same species as this from my site):

http://www.bugsincyberspace.com/gastropoda...il_portland.jpg


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## [email protected] (Apr 20, 2009)

It's dubia


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## Peter Clausen (Apr 20, 2009)

In case I didn't make it clear earlier, I do not participate in the movements of land snails except in rare cases for research purposes or to customers of Oregon and SW Washington. By virtue of being in the hobby a long time now, I have a lot of contacts. When I said I'd ask about a source for the escargot it is with the assumption that they miiiight be a less regulated species since they are a food product (though I suspect they are considered every bit as pesty). Will let you know.

(B. dubia hatchlings look nothing like creamy snails;-)...would love to see a photo!)


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## Orin (Apr 20, 2009)

Many large cities have oriental markets and you can find live snails from time to time, often Helix aspersa.


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## [email protected] (Apr 24, 2009)

Orin said:


> Many large cities have oriental markets and you can find live snails from time to time, often Helix aspersa.


Ya I've herd that the Helix Aspersa Maxima is the rarer larger garden snail, it might be the one, well maybe still looking round for the caviar snail's don't know if I'll ever find my big snail


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## Peter Clausen (Apr 25, 2009)

You might contact the following person about the escargot. I'd ask her in an "off the record" kind of way...

http://www.goodsnails.com/


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