In Tunisia, snails replacing red meat while people are looking for cheaper proteins

By Mehdi El Arem

Akouda, Tunisia (AP) – In fields outside their hometown in the center of Tunisia, an increasing number of young unemployed men are looking for a new way of making a living, withdraw snails from the rocks and collect them in large plastic bags to sell on the local market to be sold.

More and more people, they say, buy dissected vagrants because the price of basic food on the market remains high and out of reach for many families.

“They are profitable, beneficial and completely requested,” said Karim, a 29 -year -old snail seller in the village of Akouda.

The snails have been consumed in Tunisia for more than seven millennia, according to research published last year in the Revue Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. In the world of today considered mainly as a delicacy of the bistro, they again gain ground in Tunisia as a practical alternative to red meat – a substitute rich in protein which goes perfectly with salt, spices and daring seasonings.

Snails are a rescue buoy for some in Tunisia, where young people unemployment now oscillates more than 40% and inflation remains high, three years after having drawn up its highest levels in decades. A lack of opportunities has fueled social dissatisfaction throughout the country and, more and more, migration to Europe.

Low in fat and rich in iron, calcium and magnesium, snails offer both nutritional value and economic relief. In a country where unemployment is high and median wages remain low, they cost about half that beef per kilogram and often less when sold by the bowl.

“Snail is better for cooking than lamb. If lamb meat costs 60 dinars ($ 19.30), a bowl of snails is five dinars ($ 1.60),” said a man named Mohammed on the Akouda market.

While the price of meat and poultry continues to increase, more Tunisians turn to affordable alternative sources of proteins. Beyond their economic attraction, these substitutes also arouse their interest in their environmental advantages. Scientists say they offer a more sustainable solution, producing much less carbon emissions and avoiding deforestation linked to traditional cattle agriculture.

Wahiba Dridi, which serves snails in his restaurant in Tunis, the kitchen in a traditional way with peppers and spices. She said they were popular throughout Ramadan this year, which ended last week. Although Tunisian Muslims traditionally eat red meat during meals during which they break their daily fasting, a kilogram of snails costs less than 28 Tunisian dinars ($ 9) compared to beef, which costs 55 dinars per kilogram ($ 18).

“If people knew the value of snails, they would eat them all year round,” said Dridi.

Originally published: April 4, 2025 at 9:28 a.m.