Cargolade

Cargolade is a traditional northern Catalan specialty that's popular in Occitanie as well. The dish is prepared with the local variety of snails that are cooked in their shells, often outdoors and over vine wood. The name of the dish is derived from cargols, Catalan for snails, and the suffix -ade, denoting a meal that's based on a single ingredient. The snails are stuffed with a combination of lard, garlic, and parsley, then seasoned with paprika and salt before they're placed on the grill. When they start to whistle, they're fully cooked. Cargolade is traditionally eaten piping hot while standing up and it's usually accompanied by aioli. There's also a second method of preparing the snails in the Aude, where they are flambéed with salt, herbs, piment d'Espelette, and rendered lard.