Drunken Mud Snails 醉泥螺

Drunken Mud Snails (醉泥螺) are a Ningbo (宁波) cold dish of mud snails cured with huangjiu (黄酒) rice wine. A local market report describes plump snails with tender, savoury and crisp meat, eaten by drawing the meat out of the shell.

With rice or at festive meals

The report identifies the dish as something Ningbo households serve to guests at festivals. In a separate newspaper interview, Chai Long (柴隆), author of Ningbo Old Flavours (宁波老味道), names drunken mud snails as a favourite accompaniment to paofan (泡饭), rice reheated with water. His account describes eating the meat and spitting out the thin white shell.

A writer’s seasonal descriptions

Chai associates spring snails with soft shells, early-summer snails with fullness, and autumn snails with a translucent appearance and crisp texture.