Without a tinge of turmeric, cottagers cooked an edible snail (8)
I believe the answer is:
escargot
'edible snail' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
(Other definitions for escargot that I've seen before include "An edible snail from France" , "One continually moving house" , "Edible snail (from Fr.)" , "slow food?" , "national delicacy" .)