Fried snails (Chochlioi boubouristi)

Snails were consumed in Crete since the era of the Minoan Civilization, thousands of years ago. In the Cretan dialect the snails are called "chochlioi". Traditionally, the snails in Crete were collected by hand after rain, when they came out of their hiding places, in the end of winter and the beginning of spring. To make this dish, first you boil the snails for a few minutes in salted water. Then you fry them with flour in olive oil for 15 minutes. And finally you fry them with vinegar for a few minutes. The word "boubouristi" in the name of the dish, also comes from the Cretan dialect, and the word "abubura", which means "face down", and describes the way the snails are fried. If you like snails, the Cretan fried snails, or "chochlioi boubouristi", will be, if not the best, one of the best snail dishes you have tasted in your life.