Snail Caviar, a new premium French product Known as « Perle Nacrée » snail caviar is a new premium product sought after by the most discerning gourmets. Snail eggs are harvested by hand and selected with great care at a few snail farms in France. A complete surprise and original decorative product, the flavors stem of truffle and autumn oak leaves. Early trials were too strong in earthy flavors to some critics and chefs, an element the snail farmers improved in the recent harvests. “It was the snail caviar which star chef Jacques Pourcel from Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier used to finish off his dish of courgette flowers, yoghurt and summer fruits which came as the biggest surprise to the audience at the recent CCN summit Gastronomy by the Seine last summer in Paris and had everyone heading to the large stand occupied by its sole producer, De Viridi, (www.deviridi.com) Here a conversation with Dominique Pierru, its general manager, introduced me to this new luxury product which sells for 1,200 euros a kilo to chefs principally within France, where for legal reasons it has to be called ’les perles nacrés’, and whose production can only be described as a labour of love. He explained that during their lives snails produce only four grams of eggs and roared with laughter when I then asked him how many snails there were on the farm at Soissons, northern France, ’I don’t have a precise figure but somewhere between 150 and 160 million, I would guess.’ The eggs are white, 3-4 mm in diameter and in their freshness and taste are remarkably similar to the caviar from the endangered sturgeon. A few snail eggs served on a fresh sage leaf was an excellent appetiser. “ The latter comments appeared in the Financial Times, June 20th, 2009 and contributed graciously by Nick Lander (http://www.nicklander.com)

 

Did you know that the ’black’ pigs were the most common breed in England in the late 18th century and until recently were an endangered breed in the UK with less than 400 sows remaining ? These numbers have since seen a steady increase due to expert breeders in the Netherlands and in Belgium. The breed is known for its high-quality yield of meat, which is slightly darker than ordinary pork. The fat is waxy, marbled and white, giving the pork its clean taste. The taste and succulence of this pork has to be tried to be believed. A favorite of Queen Victoria who had a prized boar named ’Ace of Spades’.
 
In the quiet Belgian country side of Western Flanders, the Danis Group has devoted love and care to raise this high quality meat. Quality overrides quantity here and integrating on a small scale the production of pork emanating from the breeding of the "Duke of Berkshire" respects the animal and has been a favorite of chefs looking for premium pork flavors.
 
"I’ve been waiting a long time for pork of such superior quality.
The meat of The Duke of Berkshire is marvelously marbled, full of flavor and of a wonderful texture."

Chef Geert Van Hecke
(De Karmeliet ***, Bruges, Belgium)

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