A small business based near Palermo in Sicily is making a go of it in a very unusual sector: snail farming.
Its founders have discovered an innovative way of increasing productivity - instead of green leaves, they feed the snails on a diet of cereals, calcium and vitamins, which makes them grow up to three times faster than usual. In addition to producing snails for the domestic food market, they also collect the snails’ delicate eggs and harvest snail slime. Snail caviar, which has an earthy taste likened to asparagus or mushroom, is considered a delicacy and sells for €80 per 50-gram jar. There is also a booming market for face creams containing snail slime, which is believed to regenerate the skin. Read more: thelocal.it
