Ferrarese Snail

Snails are one of the most ancient and curious cooking traditions of Ferrara's area. It was once very common in the countryside. Snails were eaten in summer, especially between June and September, as a poor dish, yet rich in flavour.

Cooking snails is a very ancient tradition: they were already appreciated by the Greeks and the Romans, and they were imported from Sicily, Sardinia, North Africa and Spain to satisfy the most refined palates in Rome.

Today this tradition lives on in some town festivals and food events, where families and local restaurants prepare dishes that enhance this ingredient's delicate flavour.

In Ferrara's area there are two main types of snail:
"Lumaca Ligure" (Helix aspersa), with a light-coloured shell and tender meat, and "Rigatella Nostrana" (Helix vermiculata), the queen of the Sagra della Lumaca di Casumaro, an event that celebrates every year this traditional local symbol.

Snails are also a healthy and nourishing food: tender meat, low in fat and high in protein, making it a genuine ans surprisingly light dish.