Snail-based dishes are winning over the heats and stomachs of a growing number of Chinese consumers with the protein-rich meat now featured on more menus in restaurants across the country.

Edible land snails have long been a prized delicacy in Western cuisine. But as the snail farming industry grows in China, the shelled mollusks are also being increasingly featured in local cuisines.
At many restaurants that serve snail dishes, diners' responses have been mostly positive.
"Snail is a specialty food item I like to eat. The meat tastes great, and the dishes are tasty," said one diner at a restaurant in the eastern Chinese city of Jiaxing, a major production hub for shelled mollusks in Zhejiang Province.
"We launched a dish called 'sizzling snails with black pepper' in May. It currently accounts for about 35 percent of the orders we receive. The young clientele is more receptive to this type of dishes," said Ma Xiaolan, the restaurant manager.
The growing popularity of the meat in China has meant not only increased traffic at restaurants, but also increased orders for companies that produce semi-fished snail dishes.
"We shipped out nearly 5,00 boxes of the products the other day. With full employee attendance on an 8-hour shift, our daily output is roughly 1.5 tons of the products, which can be packed into more than 100 boxes. Sales are rising as more people enjoy them during the ongoing summer holiday season," said Feng Limin, workshop director of a snail dish producer in Jiaxing.
With its low calorie and fat content, snail meat is believed to have several nutritional advantages over meat like beef or pork.