Did you know France is the biggest snails consumer in the world? Before the French cook their snails (escargot de Bourgogne) they made them fasting on wheat flour for 2 weeks and followed without food for 3 days feeding only on water to prepare them to be buttered and cooked.
These feed on detritus and algae mud creepers are known to be famous exotic snails in most South East Asia countries. The Vietnamese braised "Len Len" snails with coconut milk, Malaysians cook with dark soy sauce and dried red pepper. Some people don't eat snails because of detritus (soil) the snails feed on. Nevertheless, cerithidae obtusa or mud creeper has found its way into culinary fame and known to us as 'chut-chut' snails (balitong) and is getting famous as delicacy at most seafood restaurants in the country. There you go!
They are rich in magnesium, however some people may find the 'chut' sound weird while eating at open eatery places, unless you don't care about the look on your face as you 'chut' and you go on enjoying making 'chut chut' sound, you don't mind being embarrassed. On the contrary though the trick is to suck both ends thus the name 'chut' came about :)))) You suck the pointed tip of the snail first to dislodge the snail and follow up with a hard suck on the wide end and the small rubbery gem should pop straight into your mouth :))))
We usually buy them with a reminder that we should not consume too frequent of these detritus eating snails, it's however not frequently and only occasionally available at tamu market. Soak them for an hour in clean water before cooking them to get rid of the dirt, make sure you cover them or else...
After had cut off a bit the spike tail with a pair of pliers and left them for a few minutes. I returned to find them on their way to escape, they are so alive! The sign that these snails are fresh and recently harvested.
Excellent snail dish.
Excellent snail dish.
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