If we eat escargots, why don’t we eat slugs? They’re boneless, meaty (likely high in protein) and many species are herbivores, so we’d be eating fairly low on the food chain.
Of course, they might sound tastier in French:
I’d like to order an appetizer of limaces s’il vous plaît, with a glass of red wine. Better make that a bottle.
Like escargots, slugs (or limaces, if you prefer) would probably taste best cooked with lots of garlic, butter and a bit of parsley, but could also be thrown into a stew, battered and fried or added to a Caesar salad.
L.E. Adams 1896
Slugs thrive in moist environments. I’ve seen slugs near misty waterfalls on the west coast of Canada that were close to six inches in length. The ones here on the east coast aren’t nearly half that size, but they are nevertheless quite common in the garden. They’re eaten by birds, reptiles and amphibians. Although they shrink their bodies when threatened and can be rather slithery to grasp, they are still fairly easy to catch. Slow food.
A few years ago, on a dare, an Australian ate a couple of garden slugs. I can see someone doing that, especially after a few beers. It seems harmless enough. He nearly died. Neurologists concluded that he had acquired both meningitis and encephalitis from the leopard slugs he had eaten. The article cites a couple of other individuals who didn’t survive. Apparently, the larval stage of the parasitic worm Angiostrongylus cantonensis lives in molluscs, including slugs. Extreme heat will kill the worm but it may not be worth the risk. Some slugs would probably be more suspect than others, but to the untrained eye, it would be difficult to tell the difference between one species and another. The chart above shows types of slugs found in Great Britain.
Meanwhile, in one corner of southern Italy, it’s believed that eating a whole, raw slug will aid gastritis or stomach ulcers. Slug mucous is also used there to treat skin ailments. See reference here.
This is the first year I’ve noticed several garden snails in the yard. Their shells are fairly delicate and the snails themselves are quite small. An Italian friend in Ontario used to pick and cook land snails she’d find along the railway tracks. The ones she picked must have been closer in size to the periwinkles found along the shore here in Nova Scotia.
To my knowledge, periwinkles are not eaten in Nova Scotia. However, they are cooked and eaten elsewhere in the world. Food tastes are cultural. Meningitis and encephalitis, however, are cross-cultural infections. There’s a Chinese belief that eating molluscs while you have a wound on your body will lengthen recovery time. Even Leviticus 20 in the Old Testament warns against eating any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground. It might be best to be safe than sorry the next time someone dares you to eat a slug.
OK, you’ve convinced us. I won’t be eating any slugs any time soon!
I don’t know how people could ever eat an insect! In China they eat all sorts of them, so I’m told. I’m a texture freak though, I just can’t eat anything slimey.
Um, I don’t even eat escargots. Thimbleberry jam, now, that’s people food.
I’ve been offered chocolate-covered ants, and while I am an admittedly chocoholic, knowing there is an insect inside…ah, no, thanks.
You had me half-convinced that Fried Slug could be good mealtime fare…until I read the part about the meningitis! You certainly have a way of making the “ordinary” very interesting, Amy! I learn so much here!
And guess what! Yesterday a friend showed me how to load pictures from my digital camera into the computer! Now I can at least see how my photos for the scavenger hunt are turning out. I may even learn to do more with them in the next week or two. It’s not as scary as I thought! And it is so nice not to worry about having enough film along. ;D
After seeing that luscious one you photographed the other day Kathy, I’m sure you were tempted. Glad I convinced you to not eat them.
Wineinformation, I think a lot of people are put off by the texture of foods. Wine usually helps make most oddly textured foods go down better, but after researching this post, I don’t know if I want to eat escargots again. Cooking does get rid of the sliminess but it’s the meningitis that I wasn’t aware of before that would be a concern now.
Gerry, we don’t have thimbleberries around here. But we have lots of blueberries in Nova Scotia and I have a lot of wild raspberries and blackberries growing in the yard.
We do have lots of insects here but I’m not into eating them either. The Chinese can have them.
Joan, I knew you’d be amazed at how simple it is to upload your images to your computer. So glad you gave it a try. You are going to love taking digital photographs.
the mind simply BOGGLES Amy-Lynn! Our garden has an abundance of greenery and is fairly damp, and we are continually cursing the huge numbers of slugs and snails that gobble up our cherished plants.
their favourite is basil, and last year they ate the lot. This year, ever optimistic,I keep shifting the pots around and picking them off, but plants looking pretty ragged.
It occured to me they might be rather tasty if they are stuffed with basil – but reading your story about the poor Aussie bloke convinced me otherwise. I’ve also been trying to train our cats to eat them, but they are not very keen.
Linda, there are so many lovely flowers that I’ve given up trying to grow because the slugs just gobble them up. Supposedly one way to keep them in check is by keeping beds and gardens ultra-neat and free of dead leaf litter. But what do you do if your flower beds aren’t far from the woods?
Basil is such a challenge to grow in the first place. How infuriating to have it eaten by slugs.
I don’t think I’ll be eating any unless one accidently remains in my garden lettuce after washing and on to my plate. That would be a very unpleasant surprise.
Grace, I have brought home broccoli from Sobeys, washed and cooked it and then noticed that it was full of large white grubs. If the same happened with slugs I hope I’d notice it sooner than later.
I have collected about 2 dozen garden slugs. I “caught” them by squeezing watermellon juice on the porch deck. I have them in a jar with chunks of watermellon. I’ll clean them and saute them. Anybody have a comment on this meal?? August 29, 2009 11 am
Peter, I wouldn’t eat these if I were you because of the risk of meningitis. However, your use of watermelon juice may prove more effective than beer in attracting slugs with the intent of eradicating them from a garden.
[...] Eating Slugs and Snails [...]
[...] in July of 2009, I wrote a post about Eating Slugs and Snails. I’d wondered if slugs were edible ever since I marvelled at the sight of 6 inch long ones [...]
Thanks for the warning. Meningitis is nothing to fool with.
You’re welcome Lewis. Though you might get away with eating a slug without getting meningitis, surely there’s less risky wild fare out there to enjoy.
Grew up in Nova Scotia. We used to go to rocky seaside areas, with a large pot for cooking periwinkles. Our mother would get a fire ready and pot boiling and us kids would scout the rocks and gather the periwinkles.
As for slugs in your garden, go out at dusk with a container of hot soapy water. Pick the slugs and drown them while rinsing your fingers. I’ve got 800 in 20 minutes. Very satisfying. Pick for a whole week and there will be less slugs.
Janet, you’re quite the slug picker at that rate! Thanks for the tip. I
What I’ve done over the years is try to grow plants that don’t attract slugs. I also try to limit leaf debris which is supposed to help.
Your tradition of cooking periwinkles by the seashore reminds me of the boil-ups popular with Newfoundlanders. I’ve never eaten periwinkles and perhaps am missing something. There are so many on the rocks here.
I am Janet Brooks of Nova Scotia, Canada and I have had an infestation of snails on my garden. Thousands of them which seem to have come out of the hay field. I tried the pellets but there are just too many of them. Anyone experienced anything like this this year?.
Janet, did you read Janet Kidston’s account of plucking 800 slugs in 20 minutes? Sounds icky but might work to at least lessen the problem. The snails might even be easier to grab hold of.
It seems like there are fewer slugs and snails than usual in my yard this year. If I come across a viable solution I’ll let you know.
Thank you
Janet, if you haven’t found another solution yet, diatomaceous earth seems like an ecologically viable one. It’s made up of fossilized plant diatoms which are ground into a very fine talc-like powder. The slivers of this talc cut into the skin of snails, dehydrating and killing them in the process. It’s recommended as an effective pest control for insects, slugs and snails and should be easily found at a garden supply store.
Thank you again I will try it and let you know how it worked.