GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In the cold days of winter, residents of some Palestinian villages in the West Bank go out to collect land snails, which they will cook into a favorite winter meal.

Although the dish is widely associated with French cuisine, it has been passed from generation to generation in Palestine. Many historical sources suggest the dish originated from the countries of the Maghreb, specifically Morocco and Algeria, where it is known as Babbouche. It can also be found in Lebanese cuisine.

Antoine Issa, 69, is a Palestinian resident of the village of Aboud, west of Ramallah. The village has a mixed population of Muslims and Christians, mostly Eastern Orthodox. Issa told Al-Monitor the story of the meal he prepares every year as part of the rituals of the winter season. His entire family gathers to feast on the different dishes he makes with the snails in different herbs and sauces.

“When rain showers start in the winter, we rush to the rocky lands west of the village to collect land snails. We force them out of their hideouts between the rocks,” he said. “I would collect thousands of them in the past years during the winter season, but in the last three years, the numbers of snails dropped in the village as a large number of residents started collecting and eating them.”