What is freshwater snail broth?

Freshwater snail broth is made by harvesting snails raised in the clear waters of the Donggang River in Gangwon Province, undergoing processes such as purging (haegam), impurity removal, and washing, and then boiling them in water for one hour to extract their flavor. The snails used to create this broth are discarded after the extraction process. The snail meat is famous as a "color food" due to its blue hue, and the resulting broth, infused with the essence of the snail meat, also takes on a greenish-blue tint, as seen in the photo above.

Haegam (purging) refers to the process of removing impurities from inside the shells of creatures living in the sea or rivers. By keeping the snails in dark water, they are purged. Because freshwater snails are nocturnal, they extend their bodies outside their shells to move around in the dark, allowing the impurities trapped inside to be naturally expelled.

Freshwater snail broth is ready to use immediately, allowing you to enjoy the unique, authentic flavor of the snails when making soups, noodles, sujebi (hand-pulled dough soup), or seaweed soup, especially when used in combination with shelled snail meat. 3kg of snail broth is enough for 6 to 9 servings. As our manufacturer, Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail, is certified under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) program, our broth is produced in a hygienic and safe environment. Here is a brief introduction to the freshwater snails used as the raw ingredient.

Freshwater Snail

The freshwater snail is a representative aquatic product of early summer in Korea, commonly found in streams with clear flowing water. The meat of the snail is nutritionally excellent, rich in protein and well-balanced with carbohydrates, minerals, and fats. Because it is high in the amino acid taurine, it is widely used today as a key ingredient in hangover soups.

Freshwater snails go by various regional names in Korea, such as *olgaengi*, *minmul-daseulgi*, *minmul-godung*, *godi*, *daesari*, *kkolpaengi*, and *golbaengi*. Since they have long been a familiar food source for our ancestors, there are many regional dialects used to name them. They inhabit most rivers and streams across the Korean Peninsula, excluding the far north.

Freshwater snails are distributed throughout Korea, Japan (south of Hokkaido), Taiwan, and China. They are mollusks that live in rivers, lakes, streams, and ponds. The Chinese character name *wara* (蝸螺) combines the characters for snail (蝸) and spiral shell (螺). They are called *wara* (蝸螺) in Korea, *senken* (川蜷) in Japan, and *duangouquan* (短溝蜷) in China.

There are 3 genera and 9 species of freshwater snails in Korea. These include the standard freshwater snail, *cham-daseulgi*, *jureum-daseulgi*, *jomjureum-daseulgi*, *guseul-daseulgi*, *ttiguseul-daseulgi*, *yeomju-al-daseulgi*, *gotche-daseulgi*, and *jumeoni-daseulgi*. North Chungcheong Province is famous for its snail production and is well-known for its snail hangover soup (*olgaengi-haejangguk*). The Donggang River in Yeongwol is home to many *yeomju-al-daseulgi* and *guseul-daseulgi*.

Snail Farming

In December 2010, Korea achieved the world's first success in snail farming in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province. However, it is still too early to mass-produce snails through farming for the food industry. Although the National Institute of Fisheries Science developed a compound feed that enabled the success of snail farming in Yesan, the high cost of feed makes large-scale industrialization difficult.

Humans still have much to learn about the ecology of freshwater snails. Currently, about 15 small-scale farms across Korea are attempting to raise them by hatching eggs, rearing them as juveniles, and releasing them into streams to grow to maturity. Even this method is reported to be quite challenging.

The annual demand for freshwater snails in Korea is about 6,000–7,000 tons, consumed mainly in urban areas. With domestic production only at about 2,000–3,000 tons, the remainder is supplemented by imports. It goes without saying that all imported snails are also wild-caught, as they are not farmed successfully in other countries either.

Why Freshwater Snails are Famous

Freshwater snails became widely famous due to the late folk medicine scholar Kim Il-hoon (pen name Insan), who lived in Hamyang, Gyeongsangnam-do. During his lifetime, he developed Insan Bamboo Salt (*Jukyeom*), made by roasting salt in bamboo nine times.

Insan was famous for helping many people by processing common plants and animals using unique methods. His descendants and enthusiasts of his folk medicine have established organizations like the Insan Korean Medicine Clinic, Insan Bamboo Salt Co., Ltd., and the Insan Philosophy Association to carry on his legacy.

Insan treated the freshwater snail based on the "energy" associated with the colors of objects. Just as he developed bamboo salt by utilizing the white energy of salt (白) and the high-temperature red fire energy (火), he created snail oil by utilizing the blue energy (靑) of snail meat and high-temperature red fire energy (火). As the snail oil developed by Insan became extremely famous, the reputation of the freshwater snail itself also soared. Even 40 years later, snail oil, as well as snail extract, shelled snail meat, and snail broth, are commercialized and consumed nationwide. Below is the appearance of the snail meat, which possesses the blue energy.

Composition of Freshwater Snails

The following is a proximate analysis table of snail meat. "Dry matter basis" means the content ratio calculated after removing moisture.

Proximate Analysis of Snail Meat (Dry Matter Basis)

The analysis above is for snail meat, not snail oil. However, since snail oil is made by dissolving snail meat, understanding the components of the meat provides insight into the composition of the oil. Let’s briefly examine the key features of snail meat:

The characteristic of snail meat is that it is high-protein and rich in a well-balanced variety of nutrients.

The manufacturer/supplier of this product is Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail Co., Ltd. (CEO: Jo Byeong-chan). About 25 years ago, CEO Jo engaged in the wholesale and retail of freshwater snails while also harvesting them in the Donggang and Jecheon areas of Yeongwol. Fascinated by the benefits of freshwater snails, CEO Jo established the private enterprise Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail in 2009 and began producing processed freshwater snail products. In 2020, drawing on his 25 years of experience in harvesting, processing, and selling freshwater snails, he founded Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail Co., Ltd., a company specializing in freshwater snail processing.

Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail Co., Ltd. received certification for applying HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) standards from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2022. As of 2024, the company produces and sells freshwater snail oil, snail concentrate, raw freshwater snails, peeled snails, soup-base snails, and snail broth. Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail Co., Ltd. takes pride in being a company that produces hygienic and safe freshwater snail products. Here is a brief introduction to Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail Co., Ltd.

This product is not subject to relevant legal requirements.

This product is not subject to relevant legal requirements.

This product is not subject to relevant legal requirements.

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