Lumaca di Terra, Bovolo, Marruzelle

Snails are not easy to categorize as, although they are wild, they are totally different to any other game. Freshly collected snails need to be cleaned or deslimed (spurgare) by allowing them to feed on rusk, fresh nettle leaves and salt for a couple of days. They can then be washed and cooked in salted water. When they are done, pull the snail out of its shell, discard the black tail and wash the shell. The snails can then be used according to the recipe you are using. I cannot understand why anyone bothers with tinned snails which have been cooked then stuffed back into their shell, although frozen ones are acceptable.