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.