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.

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.

2 editor picks for Caracoles cordobeses in Córdoba, ranked by editorial score. All Córdoba signature dishes · Caracoles cordobeses across every city.

Caracoles La Magdalena ★ 4.5

€Street foodCorredera

Caracoles La Magdalena has sold snails from a stand on its Córdoba plaza since 1965, opening on Andalusia Day and closing again by late May.

OrderA cup of chicos, the small snails in their mint broth.

TipThe season runs from 28 February to roughly the end of May, so most of the year there is no stall at all.

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Mercado del Marrubial ★ 4.2

€Food hallSanta Marina

The Marrubial is Córdoba's biggest municipal market, forty-five trading pitches with ten fishmongers and, unusually, a stall selling nothing but snails.

OrderCaracoles from the market's own caracolero, in the spring snail season.

TipTen fishmongers in a landlocked city is a direct product of the Mercacórdoba wholesale platform.

DirectionsView

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