What a bunch of slimeballs!
In just the latest major theft of a French national treasure, bandits slipped into a famous snail farm in northern France and snatched nearly 1,000 pounds of escargot worth more than $100,000 — just in time for holiday season, when the delicacy is eaten the most.
The sticky-fingered foodies cut a fence at L’Escargot des Grands Crus in Bouzy — a tourist attraction that sells to Michelin star restaurants — in the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 24 and broke into a building, according to owners.
The bandits raided shelves and freezers a at the snail farm, making off with $100,000 in escargot. Franceinfo
The tasteless crooks raided every shelf and freezer, making off with the famous farm’s entire stock of fresh and frozen snails, along with petty cash, according to the farmers.
“It’s a real blow,” the owners wrote on Facebook this week. “We are trying our best to replenish our stocks to satisfy you for the holidays.”
Escargot is sold at its highest quantity in the US and France during the winter holiday season. L’Escargot Des Grands Crus
The shell-shocked farmers said the culinary-minded culprits likely work in the food world, and knew to strike right before winter festivities.
“We think they were people who know — a connoisseur or professional — to be able to steal one year’s worth of stock at just this time,” Inès Dauvergne, 20, whose family runs the farm, told the New York Times. “It is pricey and is usually served for Christmas or big events.”
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
Thanks for signing up!
Escargot is sold at its highest quantity in the US and France during the winter holiday season, when it’s served as an appetizer, often cooked with garlic butter and wine, at Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
The farm also sells to high-end restaurants, including the Michelin-starred hotspots Le Parc and Les Crayères in the nearby city of Reims.
Thieves cut a fence at L’Escargot des Grands Crus in Bouzy on Nov. 24 and stole 1,000 pounds of snails. Franceinfo
It’s also a tourist attraction, promising an escargot tastings and lessons on how to cultivate mollusks.
The police have no suspects yet, according to Dauvergne, who said her family is grappling with the massive loss.
The Dauvergnes are among several hundred snail farming families in France, where roughly 37 million pounds of snails are eaten annually.
The snail heist comes about two months after thieves stole $100 million worth of the French crown jewels from the Louvre museum. Six crooks have been busted for that daring Oct. 19 break-in.
Dining and Cooking