242 EDIBLE BRITISH MOLLUSCA. 



crumbs of bread, and a little seasoning, viz., pepper, 

 salt, and a finish of fine herbs, or stew them with wbite 

 or brown sauce.* 



The following are Spanish recipes for cooking 

 them : 



"Snails with Parsley. Caracoles con PerejiL -Take a 

 slice of crumb of bread, soak it in vinegar and water, 

 pound it in a mortar with garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, 

 and mint, add oil drop by drop, turning the pestle 

 the whole time in the same direction ; put the snails 

 which have been already boiled, and taken out of 

 their shells, into this, and serve cold, or fry the whole 

 together/' 



"Ragout of Snails. Guisado de Caracoles. Soak the 

 snails in salt water, then wash them in two or three 

 waters; take thyme, marjoram, bay-leaves, and salt, 

 and fry them with chopped onions, in butter or oil ; 

 boil the snails, and take them out of their shells, or, if 

 you prefer it, put them shells and all, into the butter, 

 and fry them. Let them be served as follows : soak 

 a piece of bread in vinegar and water, and pound it in 

 a mortar with a clove of garlic, a little pepper, salt, 

 parsley, and mint, chopped very fine ; add oil drop by 

 drop, turning the pestle all the time till it is quite a 

 smooth paste, and place it round the dish, putting the 

 snails in the centre. 



French recipe for dressing Snails. In spring and 

 autumn, the snails which are found in the vineyards 

 are good to eat, for those who like them ; and to clean 

 them and make them easy to get out of the shell they 

 must be dressed as follows : take a handful of charcoal 

 ashes, and put it into a saucepan or kettle with some 

 * ' Life in Normandy/ vol. ii. p. 62. 



