Modest East Java food stalls offer escargot satay

Modest East Java food stalls offer escargot satay

Text and photos by P.J. Leo

KEDIRI, East Java (JP): You don't have to go to a classy
French restaurant to enjoy escargot. Supari and his family sells
them at their modest food stall in the small village of Jengkol
in Plosoklaten subdistrict, 20 kilometers from Kediri.

There you can find crackers and satay made of snails, locally
called bekicot, at low prices. Ten sticks of satay costs Rp 600,
while the crackers are sold at Rp 1,500, Rp 2,000 or Rp 3,500 per
package, depending on package size.

The snails (Achatina fulica) used to be the farmers' enemy
because they often destroyed crops. Since the 1970s, however,
they have become the delicacy of the villagers.

It all started when Supari's five-year-old sister suffered
from respiratory problems. Their father, Wagiman, had tried many
remedies unsuccessfully and almost gave up until he had a bright
idea. He decided to give her snails because he found that his
ducks and fish, which ate them, looked healthy.

It turned out that his daughter got well after eating the
snail dishes.

That inspired Wagiman to start his snail business, selling
snail crackers and satay.

After his death in 1992, his wife and five children took over
the business.

"There is nothing more valuable that the skill of preparing
the dishes we inherited from father," said eldest son Supari.

He proudly said that from the snail business, his father was
able to send the children to school.

"Three of us have graduated from high school," he said.

Other villagers have followed Wagiman's steps in the snail
business. Beside selling snail satay and crackers, they also
offer the meat for Rp 10,000 per kilogram.

Supari and his family handle between 2 tons and 3 tons of
escargot a day.

They buy the snails for Rp 250 a kg. In the dry season, the
price can increase to Rp 350 or even Rp 400 a kg. When there is a
shortage of snails, a broker brings them snails from other
villages in the area.

Supari and his family are assisted by 10 workers, who live in
the neighborhood. They clean the snails at the Njambangan
riverside, about 200 meters from Supari's house.

They also help cut the meat into pieces and put it onto sticks
for the satay.

The workers earn Rp 20,000 for cleaning one ton of snails and
another Rp 10,000 for cutting the meat. They also make Rp 1,000
for each 1,000 sticks of satay they make.

"We cook them and prepare the dishes ourselves," Supari said.

Snails to be processed into crackers are boiled and then the
meat is taken out of the shells. "If they are used for satay, we
must break the shells first, and then take out the meat and boil
it," Supari said.

The rising price of cooking oil has caused a headache for the
family. With the low purchasing power of the buyers, Supari said
they cannot increase product prices.

Indonesia has exported escargot to several countries in Asia
and Europe. Most goes to France, when the snails are prepared as
expensive dishes. But Supari only supplies the crackers and satay
for local markets in East Java, and has no idea to export them.