So The Thing About Escargot...

Anyone who knows me and knows what I will eat when abroad had to know this was coming...

I just tried escargots for the first time this evening. They were served piping hot, likely steamed, in a ceramic dish which has six holes, one for each shell.



It is accompanied by two instruments that look as though they could be used by a medical professional or by a professional torturer in the Middle Ages -- I'm sure some of you may think these professions to be one in the same.

One instrument is a very narrow, fork-like tool with only two prongs. The other needs to be squeezed to open and moves two half circle pieces which clamp onto the shell. (Think the scene from Total Recall where Arnold pulls that thing out of his brain through his nose...at least that's what I thought of...)











Anyway, once you figure out how to get the shell to stay still in these clamps, you then use the prongs to dig that sucker out. I recommend not looking at them too hard. Mine had some sort of green pesto on the opening of the shells, though I couldn't place the herb, which also helps to disguise the appearance (sort of like the photo above).

Upon entering the mouth, one first notices the herb mixture and butter. As one begins chewing, the slightly rubbery texture, maybe 'springy' is a better word, becomes apparent along with an all too familiar taste...mushrooms! For those of you who adore mushrooms, this dish is for you. For those of us who have disliked this strong, unpleasant flavor since childhood, I recommend avoiding escargots.

I gave the next five a try, just to be sure, with the same results. The flavor wasn't bad enough to make me gag or anything, but that distinctive mushroom flavor seemed to permeate with every bite. I plan on trying them again, just to make sure it wasn't a bad batch or cooked incorrectly -- I always thought escargot got a bad reputation just because of what it is, not based on the flavor. But...if this is the world famous dish known as escargots, I think I will have to pass in the future and maybe just enjoy their empty shells that I find all too often while excavating...