Kathmandu, Oct. 4 -- Manju Chaudhary sinks her hand into a little pond and brings up a tiny, conch-shaped shell. Inside it is an even tinier water snail. When she has collected a handful she goes to the kitchen, where she boils them and cuts away the inedible tails. The rest she fries with her favourite spices and eats it with rice, sucking the flesh out of the shell.
Many in Nepal would look askance at this dish, but among the Tharus ghonghi snails are a delicacy. The indigenous Tharu people live along the southern plains, and despite different customs and costumes among sub-groups, they share a love for snails. In fact, the Tharu are fond of eating all aquatic life - from fish and fresh-water shrimp to exotic tiny crabs and clams.
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