Why do French people eat snails?

The French view cooked snails, also called escargot, as a delicacy and they like the taste of them. A delicacy is an item considered a rare treat because of its unique taste or lack of availability.

Snails are cooked in parsley butter and garlic while they are still in the shell. The snails perform a water fast that lasts for three days before the farmers harvest them. They are then fed a week-long diet of water and flour for purification purposes.

Though ordinary garden snails are often used in dishes, food experts recommend that escargot lovers avoid using wild snails. Wild snails may carry a parasite that causes meningitis.