Peppered Snail: Spicy Nigerian Snail Dish!

 The spicy, chewy goodness of peppered snail consists of boiled snails sautéed in onions, peppers and spice. This spicy Nigerian snail dish is quite easy to prepare and is a guilty pleasure of a lot of Nigerian homes

Hi Y’all! It’s been another long while and yes, I know I said that the last twenty umpteen times, but stuff happens you know? I’m back again and the time spent huddled away from the freezing temperatures of the east coast blizzards finally reminded me that I hadn’t put out one of my delectable recipes in months! Well my pain is your gain as I whip up a recipe I’d kept in the cooler until the right time… so let me introduce you to the meaty snack that has been a generational favorite in my family starting from my father in law to my husband (wow…such history…lol). I’m referring to the spicy, tasty and chewy goodness of Nigerian peppered snail! Pepper snail (Nigeria’s colloquial name for spicy snail) is a spicy Nigerian snail dish that is quite easy to prepare with a savory taste that belies its simplicity. Commonly served in classy Nigerian events and parties where the caterer is trying to show off their flavor panache, you will not forget that spicy stew taste combined with just the right mix of pepper and caramelized onions. Natively, the snails used in peppered snail recipes is of the Giant African snail variety.

While giant African snails are naturally found in the tropical forest areas of East and West Africa, and other tropical countries, I have very clear memories as a kid of finding and picking stray snails that wandered into my mum’s garden behind the house especially in the rainy season. It was quite common after finding them under the largest leaves in the garden or slowly crawling in the soil to quickly pick them in order to prevent them from ravaging the garden (something they are very quick to do)! They quickly ended up as meat in my mum’s soup or stews but when harvested in large quantities, this spicy Nigerian snail dish was inevitable! This delicious snack consisting of boiled snails sautéed in onions, peppers and spice is quite the guilty pleasure of a lot of Nigerian households. I suspect pepper snail is one of the tricks snack Nigerian wives’ resort to when it’s time to ask the “ogas at the top” for the children’s school fees, money for hair, market etc and when daddy needs some… motivation (It’s commonly viewed as an aphrodisiac in certain parts of Nigeria). Pepper snails happen to be one of my hubby’s favorites and he has often regarded me with stories of how he’d get jealous when his mum would prepare a load of peppered snail for his dad (especially when he started to avoid red meats) only for him and his siblings to get a couple to share! Lol! Mum would eventually sneak some away for them though. We were able to find some sizeable apple snails to recreate the experience so I’m glad he gets to live out his childhood dreams!