How much worse can things get when French are forced to shell out more for snails reports Angelique Chrisafis for The Guardian.
She says that "Snails, France’s national delicacy, are the latest menu item to panic
consumers after the industry warned a shortfall in the 2008 harvest
would send prices soaring".
To give you an idea of the scope of the problem "France has the highest consumption of
snails in the world, cooked in Burgundy’s famous butter, garlic and
parsley recipe or in variations with wine and cheese. Last year, the
French processed 14,300 tonnes of gastropods, including snails and
whelks. But 99% of France’s snails come from abroad, notably eastern
European countries or the Balkans and Greece" according to her piece.
This worries Jacky Pommier organizer of one of the biggests summer slugfests in Digoin .
PT Ford, an American Expat called the 2007 edition a Snail Chow Down Festival on Why Travel to France.
It also made news on the Taipei Times.
Related: Fresh and Juicy Snails To Go at ‘La Maison de l’Escargot’ (Paris)