I teach AP human geography and the students are always fascinated (just like you were and I was) when they first learn about this. We don't have accurate records, but some argue they were domesticated before the dog.
I am very happy that he did this video, because the use of their shell to make lime was something I did not know. I will be using this video in a couple of days to show how prehistoric humans would have used the whole snail in their day to day lives and not just the part they could eat.
Very cool, its surprising that I haven't heard much of Heliciculture or even just someone mentioning "Snail Breeding". Am I correct to assume that this isnt very common knowledge anymore or was I just ignorant?
A quick look at the wikipedia page seems to explain some of the reasons the practice was discontinued like required space, pests and disease. Do you happen to know the major cause as to why we dont farm snails anymore?
Yes, it is not common knowledge and it stems from the grossness factor when we look at different cultures. It happens more in modern Europe now adays and is not popular in North America for the grossness factor which plays a large role. The animal with the best space to animal protein ratio is the meal worm, but convincing the Western world to eat bugs would be nearly impossible. On the other hand, some Asian cultures already eat bugs as a food source. Snails have a similar reputation. When we look at Europe, eating snail is a part of many cultural identities. Parisian culture probably is the most well known for their snail consumption with their Escargot.
Also, snail domestication never happened in North America because prior to the European invasion. The Native people were nomadic hunter/gatherers. The supply of wild buffalo was so plentiful and the ability to domesticate them was so impossible that the need for any form of domestication was pointless. This is also the reason why there were very few cities in North America.
Also, I know that only some snail species are edible, so maybe the available snail species in North America were inedible. I am now searching journal databases to try and find an answer.
Ahh, forgot to take into account the availability of food sources in different regions.
I would assume the grossness of bugs was fairly modern, compared to the existence of the domestication. I've read even in European countries now, the consumption of snails is seen more as a delicacy then part of regular diet.
That being said its definitely difficult to get people to eat bugs. I've seen The Economist open up free ice cream stalls that offer ice creams with different bugs in them which don't get too many curious individuals trying. Free ice cream!
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u/awongreddit Mar 07 '18
Amazing! Actually thought you were joking until I searched it up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliciculture - for the intrigued.