Many times we are led to think that the snail dish is a "heavy" recipe but is it really like that?
NO
Snail meat is a light food, with low energy content and excellent nutritional values.
Characteristics of snail meat
Average composition of snail meat (click to enlarge)
Whether farmed or harvested , snail meat does not present substantial differences in composition or nutrition. It has the same characteristics, with slight differences that depend from species to species .
On average this meat is made up of:
- water (81.6%)
- proteins (12.4%)
- carbohydrates (3.2%)
- mineral salts (2.2%)
- fat (0.6%)
Its peculiarity is that the lipid component is poor in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids , which are much more present in the meat of other terrestrial animals.
Instead, it contains polyunsaturated fatty acids , a category of fatty acids that usually characterizes fish meat.
Snail meat is an excellent food also thanks to the content of mineral salts (such as calcium and phosphorus), the content of proteins and the good content of amino acids which facilitate digestibility, being present in the proportions required for protein synthesis and other uses of the organism.
It is therefore clear that the popular belief that this meat is known for its "heaviness" is completely erroneous. On the contrary, in itself it is a light food, with low energy content and good nutritional value.
In popular belief, snails, more commonly called snails, are often considered to be difficult to digest. In fact they can be, but this depends on the preparation that the recipe requires.
In fact, digestive difficulties derive only from the gravies, sauces or gravies that accompany the dish: in itself, snail meat is a very digestible and low-calorie meat:
- 100g of pork salami provides approximately 425Kcal
- 100g of parmesan cheese 431Kcal
- 100g of smoked salmon 150Kcal
- 100g of rainbow trout 90Kcal
- 100g of snails, however, only 83Kcal
