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From opportunistic foraging to organized farming and gourmet cuisine. Slugs and snails have been around

150 thousand years ago, evidence from north Africa, in Libya. Shows humans were collecting, piercing, and eating snails

In Europe, 30 thousand years ago, there is also clear evidence of systematic cooking and consumption
Intentional harvesting has been suggested. Feeding snails herbs, juices and grains. Helix Figulina were common.

In Algeria, there are huge piles of snail shells called escargotières
There are dominant species here called helix melanostoma and Xerosecta spp. too. Some of the strongest evidence anywhere in the world.

Capsian culture in Algeria, around, 10 to 6000 years ago, showed massive snail accumulations and habitual use
Parts of Africa also had the Achatina species (giant land snails).

They are high protein and easy to gather, and shells could also be used for necklaces or decoration

Snails are naturally abundant in Mediterranean climates too. Coastal zones, grasslands after rain, and forest edges
Many of the habituated areas, overlap with early human (and, neolithic), settlement zones

They picked up on ground, vegetation and rocks. Especially after rainstorms and, early morning dew.

Sometimes they were roasted, or boiled

Snails shifted from simple foraged food to a managed agricultural product with selective breeding and culinary prestige. Check it out today.

Bibliography: Saafi, Ismail & Merzoug, Souhila & Aouimeur, Samia & Eddargach, Wassel & Mameri, Massipsa. (2023). The terrestrial malacofauna of Eastern Algeria during the Upper Capsian: The case of Medjez I (El Eulma). Journal of Archaeological Science Reports. 48. 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103906.

smithsonianmag.com
Humans May Have Eaten Giant Snails 170,000 Years Ago HUMANS MAY HAVE EATEN GIANT SNAILS 170,000 YEARS AGO SHELL FRAGMENTS FROM A CAVE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

J. E. (1821). A natural arrangement of Mollusca, according to their internal structure. London Medical Repository. 15 (87): 229–239 (https://archive.org/details/s0id11783780/page/229/mode/1upGray,)

Fernández-Armesto 2004, Felipe Fernández-Armesto cultivation natural extension of havesting 23349