Are slugs edible?

August 15, 2002
From: Susan Holzer

I was just wondering if slugs were edible? This my seem like a weird question but my mom and step dad have a bet going. And I have looked everywhere on the internet and can't seem to find the answer. If you can help me out on this it would be great. Thanks,
Susan Holzer

ashllee3@aol.com

Holzer, S., 2002 (Aug 15) Are slugs edible?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7782

Dear Susan,
I have different answers depending on what you mean by 'slugs'. I hope the bet isn't too serious as I would hate to cause a major domestic dispute between your mom and step dad.

'True' sea slugs are molluscs - in fact specialised snails. If you have a look at the earlier messages on the Recipes Page you will find that very few have ever been considered edible, and many are probably poisonous. Have a look at the message from a vet in Western Australia about dogs dying after eating sea slugs stranded on the beach.

However there is another group of animals which are also called 'sea slugs'. These are variously called sea cucumbers, holothurians, beche de mer, trepang, etc. These are definitely edible. The 'skin' is dried, and form a major fishery in Asia and parts of the Pacific.

If you are talking about land slugs, as far as I know they have never been eaten as a normal food, unlike some land snails. However I have heard of a young man who died after swallowing a slug alive for a bet with his drinking mates. It wasn't the slug as such that killed him but the parasitic rat lungworms that it was infested with.

So depending on how you define a 'slug', the answer to your question is yes and no.
Cheers,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Aug 15). Comment on Are slugs edible? by Susan Holzer. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7782

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