FOOD NEWS
CONGO MEAT: ILLEGALLY IMPORTED FROM NIGERIA, SEIZED IN US
Sixty seven living snails were reportedly discovered inside a passenger’s luggage at the airport and guess what?
These Molluscs were banned in the U.S. for carrying parasites harmful to humans. They are legal in most of the world – and even a delicacy in West Africa, especially Nigeria.
After being inspected by federal agents the snails were killed by incineration.
Inspectors at the Los Angeles International Airport were said to have seized the unusually slimy package – 67 giant African land snails that are a popular delicacy across West Africa after being sent to a person in San Dimas, California.
Spokeswoman for the U.S. Customs and Border protection Lee Harty made this known. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article
HOW LAND SNAILS ARE COOKED AND EATEN IN WEST AFRICA
Giant African land snails are considered a delicacy in much of West Africa.
The are particularly enjoyed in Nigeria, from where the LAX package was sent.
The snails are commonly served as finger food in Nigeria, but need to be thoroughly washed to ensure all parasites are killed.
They are typically removed from their shell and cut in half to kill them, before being washed in a mixture of salt, lemon and alum gum – which removes the slime.
The snails are placed into a pot and brought to the boil, then left to simmer for an hour to tenderise the meat.
While this takes place, a separate pot is used to pan-fry onions, peppers and tomatoes, with enough water added to create a kind of vegetable stew.
The tender snails are then added to the stew along with salt for seasoning, and the whole mixture is then cooked for another 20-30 minutes.
The low-calorie, low-cholesterol dish is then typically served with rice and eaten by scooping up small amounts in the hand.