Snail Caviar — The next big thing?

Bet you didn't even know it existed.

I sure didn't until I read Nicholas Lander's eye-opening June 20, 2009 Financial Times article.

Wrote Lander, "Gastronomy by the Seine is an eclectic new festival located on two big moored river barges in Paris, which this month attracted some 300 chefs and suppliers from Europe and the US."

"... the biggest surprise was the snail caviar that Jacques Pourcel from Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier used to finish off his dish of courgette flowers, yoghurt and summer fruits. This led to big crowds at the large stand occupied by the caviar’s sole producer, De Viridi."

"Dominique Pierru, its general manager, introduced me to this new luxury product, which sells for €1,200 a kilo to chefs. The production can only be described as a labour of love. Pierru explained that snails produced only 4g of eggs during their lives and roared with laughter when I asked how many snails there were on the farm at Soissons, northern France. “I don’t have a precise figure but somewhere between 150m and 160m, I would guess.” The eggs are white, 3mm-4mm 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."

Sounds tasty, what?

30 grams (1.1 oz) for $109.