Cockle

Family Cardiidae

REMARKS The diameter is about 5 cm. The differences between Cerastoderma glaucum of the Mediterranean and C. edule of, e.g., British waters, are minor and of no consequence to the cook. Both species have numerous relations, one of which is larger, namely Acanthocardia aculeata (Linnaeus), the spiny cockle, of which a drawing appears below left. Acanthocardia echinata (Linnaeus) is also very common in the Mediterranean. It is known as the prickly cockle in Britain. The fourth of the common edible cockles in the Mediterranean is Acanthocardia tuberculata (Linnaeus) and is shown below right. Its shell has tubercles rather than spines, and the animal inside, while alive, is bright red in colour. It is one of the species which the Neapolitans call fasolare, although its more official Italian name is cuore rosso. (Which cockles are red is a bit of a puzzle. A. aculeata is known as the bloody cockle in Britain, and one member of the family is coque rouge in France; but the distinction between spines, prickles and tubercles is not always clear and there may be confusion between the species in the markets.)