What caragols are
On Mallorca they’re called caragols (Catalan), not caracoles — and they’re one of the oldest dishes on the island. Vineyard snails are simmered in a long, slowly built broth of garlic, parsley, wild fennel, bay leaf and peppercorns, finished with Mallorcan chilli (bitxo). You eat them with a pin or toothpick straight from the shell, with bread to mop up the broth.
It’s a dish that demands patience — from the guest and from the cook. Snails are not simply bought and boiled. They are prepared.
The three days of preparation
- Day 1: purging. The snails are kept several days without food, often given flour or fresh herbs to clear their digestive tract.
- Day 2: washing. Repeatedly in salt water and vinegar, until no more foam comes off. This is the step most kitchens cut — and where the dish loses.
- Day 3: slow heat, then simmer. The snails go in cold water and are warmed very slowly so they come out of their shells before the broth seals them in. Then the broth is seasoned and gently simmered for an hour.
Skip any of these and you get tough snails in cloudy broth. Do them all and you get a broth that tastes of garrigue herbs and olive oil, and snails that come tenderly out of the shell.
Where they sit on the island
Caragols are a spring and autumn dish by origin — the damp months when vineyard snails are active. Sa Pobla has its own snail festival in summer (Festes des Caragols). In families they’re often prepared on a weekend — three days of work for a meal that asks only for bread, wine and time.
Caragols at Es Muntant
We serve caragols year-round, but spring and autumn are best. The preparation takes three days in our kitchen — that’s not negotiable. The broth comes to the table in an earthenware bowl with plenty of bread for the broth.
It’s a dish for people who enjoy them — anyone who has never tried snails finds in it either the start of a long friendship or a lesson learned. Recommendation: share a small portion as a starter the first time, before you order a full plate.