Simply because it takes a lot of work to create these slimy little animals and get them ready to be consumed. Not to mention that, because it is a very fragile animal, productivity is very low. “A snail takes six to eight months to reach 15 grams, which is the minimum weight to go to the table”, says agronomist Carlos Alberto Funcia, a pioneer in the creation of snails in Brazil. Throughout all these months, in addition to being very well fed, the puppies need to be raised in an environment with ideal temperature and humidity. “Because it is a sensitive animal, the mortality rate in commercial breeding ranges from 12 to 15%”, says Funcia. Mortality in chicken farms, for example, is around 5% and in pig farms, 10%. See what’s going on with this snail until you reach the cool restaurants. @:-P
FROM THE SHELL TO THE TABLE
Follow the long journey of the escargot until it reaches the plate
The escargot is a hermaphrodite animal, which needs a partner to procreate. About six species are cultivated in Brazil, including the escargot de Bourgogne, the largest of its kind in Europe – its shell is 5.5 cm in diameter
There are two main forms of cultivation: in covered wooden boxes or in open-air nurseries, where masonry or concrete tanks are made. It is in them that the adult animals that will start the breeding
During mating, the penis of one snail penetrates the vagina of the other, and vice versa. Slow, the couple’s copulation lasts from 10 to 12 hours and the eggs are laid about three weeks later. Despite the simultaneous intercourse, in general only one animal becomes “pregnant”
In a period that can vary from 16 to 30 days, the young are born smaller than a pea grain) and are separated from the adults. Herbivores, in general they feed on kale, cabbage, cucumber or a specific feed
After six to eight months of good life, they reach 15 g in weight and are ready for slaughter, which can be done in two ways: the poor things are placed in hot water or in the freezer until they die.
Then, each of them has its meat removed from inside the shell with a special fork. It is a painstaking and painstaking process. To obtain 1 kg of meat, it is necessary to “pluck” 70 snails
Finally, the washing, pre-cooking, packaging and freezing of the selected meat takes place. In restaurants, before being served, the meat is placed back in the shell. A portion with about six animals costs around 50 reais in the most “affordable” places
WEALTH RANGE
Babe with other snacks that are not for everyone’s pocket
CAVIAR SOULS
This rare Iranian caviar is sold in 24-carat gold packaging, made by Cartier jewelry. It is so expensive because white sturgeon takes 25 years to mature and produce eggs. Price: BRL 360 thousand/kg
SAFFRON
Extracted from the core of Crocus sativus flowers, it is the spice with the highest value in the world. For the production of 1 kg, 100,000 to 150,000 flowers are needed! Price: BRL 35 thousand/kg
WHITE TRUFFLE
The most inflated mushroom in the world originates from Piedmont in northern Italy. It reaches 500 g and 12 cm in diameter. Price: BRL 10 thousand/kg
CHOCOPOLOGY
Chocopologie truffles are prepared in Lyon, France, with Valrhona chocolate, considered one of the best in the world. Handmade by the company of the same name, they are only sold to order. Price: BRL 4.4 thousand/kg
KOPI LUWAK
Considered by many to be the best coffee in the world, it is only grown on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. And it is even more expensive because of the small production: there are only 250 kg of grain per year. Price: BRL 1.7 thousand/kg