Dear Brian and Tom,
   In the late 1970s and early 1980s I ate slugs. As far as I know, none
of the land slugs are poisonous. However, the digestive gland (which
occupies about the posterior third) of at least some of the species is
foul tasting, so I advise removing it before consumption. It is
relatively easy to remove after cooking by making a longitudinal slit in
the tail, and peeling the skin back, then either pulling off or cutting
off the dark-colored digestive gland.
   I recall that Arion rufus in the Pacific Northwest had a foul-tasting
digestive gland. My recollection is that the digestive gland of Arion
subfuscus in Michigan was not as foul tasting. I shared a banana slug
(Ariolimax columbianus) with someone in Washington, so I don't know if I
got the digestive gland or not, but I don't recall any foul flavor - but
I did get the crunchy shell. I have also had Deroceras spp and Limax
maximus, and don't recall any foul flavor.
   It is a VERY good idea to cook land mollusks before eating them, as
they are good vectors for human parasites. Cooking them will kill the
parasites. The people on reality TV shows who eat live slugs are taking
chances with their own health.
   Slugs tend to have more slime than snails (probably defensive, since
slugs can't hide in a shell). An easy way to remove the slime before
cooking is to put the live slugs into 50% vinegar 50% water. The
solution is fatal to the slugs in a few minutes, and in the process,
they exude most of their slime. Also, when you are boiling them, change
the water after a minute or two to remove further slime. One recipe
advocates adding a bay leaf to the cooking water to improve the smell.
After they are cooked (and the digestive gland removed, if necessary),
you can use the slugs as you would clams (e.g., slug chowder); be
creative.
   While I am mostly a vegetarian, I advocate eating of pest slugs.
Eating slugs from the garden is biological control, with humans being
the predator! Slugs are like escargots with the shell already removed!By
eating slugs, we can turn pests into something desirable.

Tim Pearce
Asst Curator and Head, section of Mollusks
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------