240 EDIBLE BRITISH MOLLUSCA. 



snayles, etc., have crawled into the dishes of princes, 

 and are daily eaten in their Courts for dainties.* 



To Dress Snails. — Take shell-snails, put them in 

 boiling water, then pick them out of the shells, salt 

 them, scour the slime from them, and then wash 

 them in two or three waters ; then dry them in a 

 linen cloth, then put them into a napkin with salt, 

 pepper, salad-oil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and winter- 

 savoury, shred small, mingle all well together ; then, 

 having cleaned the shells, fill them with these ; lay them 

 on a gridiron, and broil them over a gentle fire, then 

 dish them, four or five dozen in a dish, fill them up 

 with oil, and serve them hot.f 



To Dress Snails. — Snails that feed on vines are con- 

 sidered the best. Put some water into a saucepan, and 

 when it begins to boil, throw in the snails, and let them 

 boil a quarter of an hour ; then take them out of their 

 shells ; wash them several times, taking great pains to 

 cleanse them thoroughly ; place them in clean water, 

 and boil them again for a quarter of an hour ; then take 

 them out, rinse them, dry them, and place them with 

 a little butter in a frying-pan, and fry them gently for 

 a few minutes, sufficient to brown them ; serve them 

 with some piquante sauce. J 



Snails cooked the French way. — Crack the shells and 

 throw them into boiling water, with a little salt and 

 herbs, sufficient to make the whole savoury ; in a quarter 

 of an hour take them out, pick the snails from the shells, 

 and boil them again ; then put them into a saucepan 

 with butter, parsley, a clove of garlic, pepper, thyme, 



* ' Antiquarian Chronicle/ June, 1882. 



f ' The Cooks' and Confectioners' Dictionary,' by John Nott. 



J An uid French Recipe. 



