Snail garden
Up until the 1950s, Roman snails , also called Swabian oysters , were bred in so-called snail gardens.
In the 19th century in particular, the animals were kept and bred in these gardens in the Swabian Alb and marketed, for example, via Ulm and as far as Vienna . They were very popular as a fasting food, especially in Catholic areas . Field names such as Schneckenberg or Schneckenburren still point to this old branch of business in snail breeding.
In order to protect animals, the Roman snail ordinance was previously in place in Baden-Württemberg , which has been replaced by a general ban on collecting.
The reconstruction of a historical snail garden, in which supposedly around 300 Roman snails live, can be seen in the Beuren open-air museum; the Albschneck interest group is currently trying to revive the old marketing traditions.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, snails were also kept on so-called snail mountains or snail pits in Europe . So before they were eaten, snails were brought to the Schneckenberg and fattened there. A moat or a low lattice fence prevented the snails from escaping.
Individual evidence
- ↑ JG Krünitz: Economic Encyclopedia (1773-1858) , article Schneckenberg