Town introduces snail food

Sunday, March 13, 2011

THE town of Borbon in northern Cebu plans to appeal to the gastronomically adventurous.

The Municipal Government has identified a dish with an upland bush snail as main ingredient to be its entry to the Obra Negosyo, a Capitol-initiated program that promotes entrepreneurship in Cebu Province.

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The snail, locally known as takyong (Helicostyla daphnis), may be Borbon’s version of escargot. Its meat can be prepared and served as pate, grilled or stewed.

In Borbon, takyong meat is combined with vegetables to make a dish called takyong guisado.

Takyong lives in bushes or short trees, like coffee or jackfruit. It feeds on the sap and algae of the leaves of trees and bushes growing in elevated areas where the climate is cool. They are vulnerable to ants, which prey on them when they fall to the ground.

Two residents in Borbon, Nonito Romagos and Eutropia Precillas, raise takyong in their backyards as their livelihood.

The snail costs about P1 each and is rumored to have therapeutic effects on those who have asthma and allergies, said Girlie Garces of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).

MCCI supports Capitol’s Obra Negosyo program by mentoring start-up entrepreneurs in the province.

The Southwestern University and the University of the Philippines also help find ways to make the takyong venture sustainable.

The Borbon Municipal Government plans to regulate the harvesting of the snail species and protect it from extinction by encouraging residents to plant trees.

The local government also plans to make takyong raising the center of an eco-tourism project.