Small snails simmered in a clear broth of mint, cumin, bay and dried chilli, served hot in a cup with a toothpick to hook them out. The broth matters as much as the snails and is drunk afterwards.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
Córdoba eats snails for about three months a year and then stops entirely. The season opens around 28 February, Andalusia Day, and closes in late May or early June, and street stands appear across the city for exactly that window before vanishing again. The chicos are the small snails, cooked in a herb and cumin broth; the gordos are the larger cabrillas, usually served in an almond and pepper sauce. Caracoles La Magdalena has worked the same plaza since 1965 and is now on its fourth generation of the same family. The Mercado del Marrubial keeps a dedicated snail stall through the season.
Common allergens: Molluscs
Tip from the editors. Heat the first water slowly. If it comes up fast the snails retract and stay locked in the shell.
Caracoles La Magdalena has sold snails from the same Córdoba plaza since 1965, under a fourth generation of the same family, for one season a year.
Why locals love it: It only trades for about three months a year, opening on Andalusia Day and shutting by late May, so most visitors are never in town for it.
Tip: The season opens on 28 February and closes in late May, and the stall vanishes entirely between times.
The Marrubial is the biggest municipal market in Córdoba and sees no tourist trade at all, forty-five pitches including a stall selling only snails.
Why locals love it: It is the only market in Córdoba with a dedicated snail stall among its pitches, and it runs ten fishmongers in a landlocked city.
Tip: Go before 11:00 if you want the fish counters at their best; everything shuts at 14:00.
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