Shrimp(s) and prawns

[Victor]

Not to compare them to pornography, but if you see these cephalopods
side-by-side, the distinction is fairly obvious--the shape and body
morphology are rather distinct. Generally, much confusion on the subject
is created by Chinese culinary culture that uses both but in different
ways and, for some reason, does not respect that difference when
translating names into English. I've found Mediterranean terms,
generally, to be less confused and confusing. Most European languages (I
could not find the equivalent in German) distinguish between the two
very clearly. French and Portugese have simple short words for each,
apparently because both are used in cooking on the Atlantic Coast. You
certainly won't be served cuttlefish when ordering "calamari", although
similar dishes with cuttlefish do exist. Other than the three languages
mentioned, most Western European languages (including Scandinavian) use
variations on "sepia" to describe cuttlefish. Google suggests "zeekat"
for cuttlefish in Dutch, although, during last year, whenever I saw
cuttlefish fresh at the fish market in Groningen, it was always labeled
"sepia" or "sepia inktvis". In contrast, all sizes and varieties of
squid were labeled "inktvis". If you are wondering if there is any
relationship between these animals and sepia dye, the answer is yes.

About the only place you are going to find cuttlefish in the US (as
food) is in dry goods section or dry snacks (next to beef jerky) in
Chinese stores. So when you see "cuttlefish" on the menu in an
Anglophone country, you can be 99+% sure that it's actually squid that
is being served. (Chinese dishes with dried cuttlefish are rarely served
to American customers--perhaps the situation is different in the UK.)
One exception is Risoto al nero di Seppia, which should use cuttlefish,
if properly prepared. You may also occasionally find cuttlefish "steak"
in Japanese restaurants, particularly as sushi.

I am not entirely sure of the source of the color in black pasta, but, I
believe, it could be either one--both Italian and Spanish cuisine use
them somewhat interchangeably, so it may depend on the manufacturer (or
the chef, if made fresh). What you may find on the plate in Spain,
Portugal, Italy, Croatia or Turkey (and the French Atlantic Coast) is
another matter--you are on your own there.

Cuttlefish are generally the more interesting animals of the two. They
are roughly as intelligent as octopus (which is saying quite a bit),
while squid are closer to lemmings--at least the smaller variety that
usually finds itself on your plate--although the intelligence is still
fairly high for invertebrates. Giant squid is an entirely different
creature and I'll skip it for the moment. The same goes for colossal squid.

Cuttlefish look more flat of the two, with distinct top and bottom sides
and a continuous "fin" running along the body. Their arms and tentacles
are somewhat differentiated and highly developed eyes are on the top
side. In contrast, squid is generally conical, with rather larger dual
fins at the tail end, with simple eyes clearly bilaterally opposed, two
longer tentacles, and eight fairly undifferentiated "arms" (the "things"
with suction rings on them--some species do not even differentiate
between tentacles and arms, as all 10 look identical). Cuttlefish have
a  porous buoyancy organ, usually referred to as "cuttlebone" (which is
sold in pet stores as a nutrition/exercise source for parrots).  Squid
does not have a cuttlebone, although both have soft cartilage that
serves an entirely different purpose (rigidity), but is occasionally
confused for cuttlebone (it's actual name is the pen).

My description is fairly primitive and is not meant to be definitive.

    VS-)

Laurence Horn wrote:
> But on the topic of seafood lumpers vs. splitters:  there's also the
> squid vs. cuttlefish distinction that I've never quite understood,
> but shows up in English translations of menus whose original is
> Spanish, Italian, or various Asian languages, so I assume it's a real
> distinction that I just neutralize.  Different species? Different
> sizes?  It all tastes good to me, so it's not like I *really* care,
> but I am curious.
>
>

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