Process:
“Snail farming on a large-scale basis requires a considerable investment in time, equipment, and resources,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thus, snail caviar farming is even more difficult, as on average, the snail used by De Jaeger will produce roughly 100 eggs per year. 100 eggs is about 4 grams. That means that a 50 gram tin (which retails for $159.00), comes from over 12 snails over a span of a year!
Once harvested, the snail roes are seasoned with French Guerande sea salt, touches of rosemary, citric acid, and starch. The production process can be viewed in this video.
Taste:
Luxury Insider describes the taste of snail caviar as consisting of "tiny, smooth cream-colored pearls that reportedly burst on the tongue with subtle autumn and woody flavors." Plantin, one of De Jaegers U.S. distributors, has this to say: "[h]ints of undergrowth, angelica, horseradish, sensation of fresh dew, beaming pearls. Let your mouth experiment the sensation of a walk in the forest after the rain, mushrooms and oak leaves flavours, the scent of humid moss peat, a journey through autumn aromas."
Conclusion:
I must admit, the first time I heard of "Snail Caviar", I was not very excited. Having never liked escargot, I imagined I would feel the same way about snail caviar. But, you never know until you try it.
Well, we finally decided to give it a shot, and ordered a set of samples late last week. They should be arriving in the next few days.
I will definitely post up the results once we have a chance to sample it! Wish me luck!
