Snail tales - Celebrating the annual Catalan Snail Gathering
Durada: 20 min
01/06/2024
Since 1980, at the end of May, the western Catalan city of Lleida becomes the snail center of Catalonia, where hundreds of people come together to celebrate the annual Catalan Snail Gathering, l'Aplec del Caragol. Fans of the tiny mollusks unite for a weekend of gastronomy, competitions and much more.For this last edition, a whopping 15 tons of snails were devoured by hungry participants.Oriol Escudé Macià and Ona Van Dyck join the festivities at the world's largest snail-eating fest and return to Barcelona to chat about the experience with host Lea Beliaeva Bander. We talk to different 'colles' and attendees at the Aplec and get deep into all things snails, from how to cook and eat them to their health benefits and snail farming, and we answer the pressing question: Are Catalans the world's biggest snail eaters? The Catalan phrase of the week is, fittingly, 'enganyar com als cargols', which literally translates to 'to deceive like snails' and means to betray someone's trust.