Etiquette for Escargot

 

The classic shape of an escargot dish is round with 6 divots for the snail shells to sit in. Shown above is an antique escargot dish from France, accompanied by an escargot fork and escargot tongs from Chicago’s famous “Pump Room” restaurant.— “Occasionally, escargot was served at elegant meals. Snails call for their own special plates. The 1893 book, The Epicurion, gives several recipes for escargot and relates that they are often served in earthen or metal dishes, especially intended to receive the snail or the shell and the snail. It also notes a silver skewer or pick is used to remove the snail. The dishes must be earthen or metal as snails have to be cooked and served very hot to keep the butter from congealing. This type of dish could be placed in the oven and then carried directly to the dinner table.” — Wendell and Wes Schollander in Forgotten Elegance, 2001

Etiquette for Eating Escargot:

• Escargot is properly served as a hot appetizer. 
• Escargot tongs, with which to grip hot snail shells, are usually provided.
• The appetizer fork sits to the far right of a place setting, with the tines resting in the bowl of a soup spoon, or the fork sits flat on the table if there is no spoon for a soup course. It can occasionally be found at the left of the setting, if there are fewer than normal subsequent courses to be served which require forks.
• The escargot tongs are most often brought to the table when the escargot is served, as opposed to being pre-set at the place setting. In this manner, the tongs will not encroach on other the other settings. 
• If a hostess wishes to place them at the place settings beforehand, they can be placed to the left of the forks, but this can make each place setting much wider than planned, making them closer to the other guest’s settings.
• The plates should be very hot, so use caution when picking up snail shells with your tongs.
• The holder grips the shell with the left hand, while the right pulls out the snail with an escargot fork, pick or even an oyster fork. 
• After removing the snail from the shell, it is brought to the mouth with one’s fork after the tongs are set back down on the under-plate or dish, in a “rest position.”
• If there are no tongs, you may hold the shell with your napkin protecting the fingers, as the snails must be dug out of the shells. 
• Occasionally, snails are simply served in a round dish without their shells. They may be eaten, one at a time, with your escargot fork.
• Snails are eaten whole, like raw oysters. 
• After eating the snails, when the snail shells have cooled, it is proper to tilt them into the mouth to get the garlic butter and snail liquor, or one may sop this up with bits of French bread.
• Drop a few small pieces of bread into the dish and shells and sop up the butter sauce.
• Retrieve each piece individually with your escargot fork, and bring them to your mouth one at a time, using your fork to convey them.

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia