Clams

Appearance: Clams burrow by means of a muscular foot, located at the front end, which can be extruded between the valves. The head, located within the shell, is rudimentary, without eyes or antennae. Water containing oxygen and food particles enters through an incurrent siphon; waste-containing water is expelled through an excurrent siphon. The two tubes project from the end opposite the foot and may be united in a single structure called the neck. The sexes are usually separate. Eggs and sperm are deposited in the water; the fertilized egg develops into a free-swimming larva without a shell, which may not attain the adult form for several months.

Origin: The soft-shell clam, or steamer (Mya arenaria), of both coasts of North America. The hard-shell clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), also known as the northern quahog, is abundant from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Texas.

History: The clam is a bi-valve mollusk of the Pelecypoda class that digs in the sand. Although native to both salt and fresh water, saltwater clams are considered far superior for eating purposes. Clam comes from the Old English clamm, meaning «bond» or «fetter» relating to its tightly clamped shell. Native Americans carved clam shells into beads and used them as currency or wampum (Algonquian meaning «white string of beads»), and introduced colonists to the concept of clambakes. The National Marine Fisheries located in Milford, Connecticut, pioneered clam farming circa 1930. Commercial hatcheries gained their foothold in the Northeast in the 1960s.

Nutrition Facts: Rich in calcium and protein.