![]() ![]() The geoduck's high market value has created an $80M annual industry, with harvesting occurring in both Washington state and the province of British Columbia. (Although mirugai is sometimes translated to english as "Giant Clam", it is distinguished from "Himejako" sushi made from Tridacna gigas.) On Japanese menus, Geoduck is called mirugai (海松貝) or mirukuigai (水松喰貝). Extremely popular in Hong Kong, China and Japan, where it is considered a rare taste treat, Geoduck is mostly eaten cooked in a fondue-style Chinese hot pot or raw sashimi style, dipped in soy sauce and wasabi. Its large, meaty siphon is prized for its incredibly sweet flavour and crunchy texture. The Jumbo clam, like abalone, is highly regarded in Chinese cuisine. Today, they sell in Asia for up to US$30/lb. The world's first geoduck fishery was created in 1970, but demand for the semi-forgotten clam was low. The school's Latin motto, Omnia Extares (or, "let it all hang out") is probably intended as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the creature's appearance. The geoduck is the official mascot of the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. It is possible that this fact, in conjunction with the phallic shape of the siphon, has led to the belief that the shellfish has aphrodisiac properties. A female geoduck produces about 5 billion eggs in her century-long lifespan-in comparison, a human female produces about 500 viable ova during the course of her life. In Alaska, sea otters and dogfish have proved able to dislodge an adult geoduck, and starfish can grab an unwary siphon and slowly nibble away at it. That's about it, unless it happens to fall victim to one of its few predators. A geoduck sucks in plankton, spits out the refuse and, periodically, ejects sperm or eggs. Scientists speculate that the geoduck's longevity is the result of low wear and tear. It has a life expectancy of up to 100 years or more, with the oldest recorded at over 160 years. Native to the Pacific Coast of the United States and Canada, it is the largest burrowing clam in the world, weighing in at an average of one to three pounds (1.4 kg) at maturity, but specimens weighing over 10 pounds (4.5 kg) and as much as a meter in length are known. The name is derived from a Nisqualli Indian word meaning "dig deep", and its phonetically counterintuitive spelling is likely the result of poor transcription (alternate spellings include gweduck and goiduck). Pronounced "GOO-wee-duck", the geoduck ( Panopea abrupta or Panope generosa) is not a duck at all, but a species of large saltwater clam, also known as king clam, elephant trunk clam, or the Pacific geoduck clam. A Geoduck retrieved off the Pacific Coast ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |