Foot Long Mussels

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Foot Long Mussels
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Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 15 1:47 pm Post subject: Foot Long Mussels
Whilst snorkelling in Turkey, we came across many mussels, which were at least a foot long! I was wondering if they are edible and if so, are they any good?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46239
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 15 7:02 pm Post subject:
if they are in clean water with no pollutants or toxic algae afaik all bivalves are edible. do the locals eat them is often a good indicator .

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 15 7:58 pm Post subject:
were they these general sorts of bivalves? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33691781

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 7:40 am Post subject:

sally_in_wales wrote:

were they these general sorts of bivalves?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33691781

Yes it was! I thought because of the shape and because of the mussel beds that it was just a rather venerable mussel.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 7:46 am Post subject:
Pleased I didn't try to eat them. Looks like they are a protected species! Trouble is, my first thought about most things tends to be whether it is edible or not!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46239
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 12:09 pm Post subject:

Shan wrote:

Pleased I didn't try to eat them. Looks like they are a protected species! Trouble is, my first thought about most things tends to be whether it is edible or not!

ummm me too .there are quite a few things that are now protected species that are (were) delicious.

something that strikes me about "protection"is that if folk find a critter delicious they might make the effort to protect it's habitat and harvest them sustainable ,much like the wildfowlers,lobster fishermen and scallop divers do.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 1:23 pm Post subject:
Agreed. It would be profitable for both the individual and the environment!

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15990

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 3:42 pm Post subject:
There is also some sort of bivalve from which the Phoenicians obtained a 'purple' dye. Don't know much about it, but that was so precious that it was mainly used for kings and religious ceremonies. Interesting article.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2573
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 6:08 pm Post subject:
I thought that was a whelk, used to make Tyrian purple to dye the emperor's toga.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46239
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 6:12 pm Post subject:
big snails

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 7:14 pm Post subject:

Shan wrote:

Agreed. It would be profitable for both the individual and the environment!

Hasn't worked for sturgeon, or whales, cod, tiger, rhino or any other species I can think of.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46239
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 8:06 pm Post subject:
north sea cod are back on the sustainable list iirc and the ones we were eating in northumberland were huge. tiger and rhino are a "cash crop" for poor folk to sell bits of to rich folk rather than dinner for the locals(as were whales during the industrial harvest). im not sure what the sturgeon position is at the mo ,fairly dire i expect.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 9:07 pm Post subject:

Cod are safe to fish again but despite their tastiness and value and desirability, not because of it.

Tigers and rhino survive because men with guns guard them not because eating their dicks makes yours better.

Sturgeon have a tough life due to living close to Russians and Iranians.

If you're tasty, or contain Mycoxaphloppin analogues, you're an endangered species.

A better counter argument is probably cows and sheep.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 9:48 pm Post subject:
If people had decided to farm tigers 'One Man & His Dog' would have been a lot more exciting.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46239
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 15 9:57 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

If people had decided to farm tigers 'One Man & His Dog' would have been a lot more exciting.

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