Are there poisonous snails in Belgium?

Answer

Dear Chris,

No, slugs are certainly not poisonous, on the contrary they used to be made into a kind of breast syrup! Like the vineyard snail (‘escargot de Bourgogne’) and the shagreen snail (‘petit gris’), the (large) nudibranchs are edible in Belgium… although most people will turn their nose up at them. A recipe that you can find here and there on the internet comes from the book “The little doctor” by “Dr. Alfred Vogel” (who was not a doctor by the way). The recipe is as follows (p. 581 in the book):

‘Red forest snails are layered on top of each other in a glass. A layer of sugar is put on top, then a layer of snails with sugar on top. The amount of sugar must at least correspond to the weight of the snails, so may be slightly larger. The sugar dissolves the snails, after which 30 percent alcohol can be added. If this is not enough to completely dissolve the snails, add a little more alcohol, after which everything is poured through a coarse sieve. One tablespoon full of this syrup, which resembles liqueur, is taken in the morning on an empty stomach, in serious cases a liqueur glass full.’ ‘[D]this syrup [is] has often been successfully used for ailments related to bacteria, and for ulcers, stomach ulcers and lung diseases’.

However, do not take the medical explanation above seriously!

Anyway, there are no land snails (naked or snails) living in Belgium that are poisonous to humans.

Sincerely,

Thierry Backeljau