Paddy Field Snails/Jol Kukura/Gugli With Shells

🐌 Paddy Field Snails in Cooking & Cuisines

🔸 1. Common edible species

In India and Southeast Asia, the main edible freshwater (paddy field) snails are:

• Pila globosa — Apple snail / Indian freshwater snail
• Bellamya bengalensis — Bengal river snail
• Viviparus species — found in Assam, Bengal, Odisha, NE India

All are eaten after proper cleaning and cooking — not raw.

🍛 2. Indian regional cuisines

🇮🇳 Assam & Northeast India

• Name: “Jol kukura” (meaning water chicken in Assamese)
• Popular dishes:
  • Hekiya kukura (snail meat cooked with sesame paste)
  • Snail curry with pumpkin leaves or yam stem
• Preparation:
  • Snails are boiled, meat pulled out from shells, then cooked with mustard oil, herbs, or sesame paste.
• Considered nutritious and a rural delicacy.

🇮🇳 West Bengal & Odisha

• Known as “Gugli” or “Guglee”
• Common dish: Gugli chorchori or Gugli tarkari (spicy snail curry).
• Often sold in local fish markets — especially after monsoon.
• Sometimes fried or made into dry masala curries.

🇮🇳 Tamil Nadu & Kerala

• Snails (called Kuyil kal or Aamai kal) are occasionally cooked in rural areas — mostly tribal and village recipes.
• Prepared with coconut, chili, and curry leaves.

⚙️ 4. Preparation process

1. Purging: Keep snails in clean water 24–48 hours to clear gut contents.
2. Boiling: Boil to loosen meat from shell.
3. Extracting: Use a pin or small stick to remove meat.
4. Cleaning: Remove the operculum and gut (depending on recipe).
5. Cooking: Fry, curry, or stew — high heat, spices, and sometimes groundnut or sesame paste.

🍴 5. Taste and nutrition

• Flavor: similar to clams or mussels — mild, earthy, chewy texture.
• Nutrition:
  • Protein ~16–18%
  • Iron, calcium, and amino acids
  • Low in cholesterol