Mussel

The mussel is probably the most common of shellfish, and is found mostly in the northern hemisphere, although a large green-lipped mussel is unique to New Zealand. The oval, blue-black mussel of Europe is a bivalve mollusc, which means it has a hinged double shell (along with clams, oysters, scallops and cockles). It is rather a sedentary creature, attaching itself by means of its ‘beard’ or byssus to rocks, jetties, harbour piles, even the hulls of ships, where it filter-feeds, drawing nutrients from the sea water. Wild mussels can obviously be found, but great care must be taken to ensure that they come from unpolluted water, as they are very susceptible to toxins which can be extremely dangerous when ingested. Most mussels we see these days, though, are cultivated, a practice which has been in existence since at least the thirteenth century (its formal name is ‘myticulture’).