In Cyprus, very large snails with hard shells were called mnouhari. After boiling them in water, they were served with olive oil and lemon juice.
Name - Recipe
Μεγάλα σαλιγκάρια, βραστά με λαδολέμονο.
In Cyprus, large and hard-shelled snails were called mnouhari (Katzi 2000).
Snails
Lemon juice
Olive oil
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp vinegar
Before cooking, wash the snails with water. Lightly rub the snails against each other and change the water 6-8 times until they are clean. Put them in a pot with cold water and boil over low heat. Add a tablespoon of salt and two tablespoons of vinegar and turn up the heat to cook. In a large bowl, whisk some olive oil and lemon juice together. When the snails are cooked, use a fork to remove them from the shell and place them in the bowl to marinate. (Katzi 2000)
Boiling.
Functional and symbolic role
Snails were consumed mainly during fasting periods. Cypriots collected snails in the first month of spring when it was humid and also after the first rain in autumn (Katzi 2000).
Additional information and bibliography
Katzi, M. (2000). "The food that nature gave us", Λαογραφική Κύπρος, 30(50), 104-110.
Demetra Dimitriou