Snail caviar

Snail caviar, also known as escargot caviar or escargot pearls, is a type of caviar that consists of fresh or processed eggs of land snails. It is a luxury gourmet speciality produced in France and Poland. They were also a delicacy in the ancient world, also known as "Pearls of Aphrodite" for their supposed aphrodisiac properties. In their natural state, the eggs are colourless. After processing, the caviar may be cream-coloured, pinkish-white, or white, with the eggs generally 3–4 mm in diameter. Some snail eggs may measure at 3–6 mm in diameter. Some commercial snail farms that produce escargot include the production of snail caviar as a part of their operations. The raw snail eggs have a slick shell that is delicate and breakable. They are sometimes pasteurised to preserve them. However, the pasteurisation of snail eggs has been described as having a tarnishing effect upon their flavour. Some preserved versions are processed and jarred without the use of pasteurisation, using brine as a preservative. Some producers use a flavoured brine to add flavour to the product.

Source: Wikipedia