Alan Davidson

Squid

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

squid one of the major food resources of the sea and probably the most important of those which are not yet fully exploited. Like other cephalopods, squid are eaten less than they might be because some people are repelled by their aspect and ignorant of how to prepare and cook them.

Squid occur in all oceans and seas, except the Black Sea. The world catch is huge. The Japanese market absorbs about half of it.
The architecture of squid is simple. The tubular body has two swimming fins projecting at the rear. At the front is the head, with two long tentacles and eight ‘arms’ projecting from it. Because squid swim near the surface and are vulnerable to attack from predators below, they are almost colourless.