Bulgarian Snail Race
Posted on 7 November 2011 by Stenberg-Tendys W.L. in Society
The Bulgarian snail race is proving to be a gold mine, as the farmers turn to breeding snails during the economic downturn.
The cost of raising the snails is low, while the demand is so high the farmers cannot keep up with the orders.
Bulgarian agriculture has been in decline for the past 20 years, but humble snails have rejuvenated a failing industry. Bulgaria is the European Union’s poorest country, but it is now exporting luxury foods that are rarely consumed by the Bulgarians.
Escargot or “ohlyuvi” in Bulgarian, are considered a particular delicacy. Three hundred new snail farms are about to open in Bulgaria in 2012, as orders pour in from all over Western Europe and in particular from France, Spain and Italy.
One of the farms in Sadovets, Bulgaria, with five hectares of snails, employs 25 staff full time, increasing that number to 75 during the summer.
“We expect to produce between 60 and 70 tons of snails in this farm alone in 2009,” says the farm manager. “In previous years we’ve reached up to a hundred tons, but the economic crunch has had an effect on us as well”.
However, there is a recent trend on the domestic market for a growing demand for the snails. Farmers expect to receive European Union subsidies under European programmes for the development of rural regions.
“Snails are an ancient form of food, their meat is light, delicious and ideal for dieting. Most importantly, a lot of accent is put in the food’s aphrodisiac properties,” said Totov.
We are not convinced this sign is for real or simply a clever photoshop job. However, it certainly could be Bulgarian!
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