Edible Mollusks and Crustaceans Quiz

Answer: Pangolin

Sea ears or muttonshells in Australia, ormer in England, perlemoen in South Africa, and pāua in New Zealand -- these are all what's known as abalone in North America. They're often considered a delicacy and has several variations, including pink, white, black, and (yes) ass's ear.

Answer: Mussel

Mussel is a general term for a variety of bivalve molluscs that are found in both freshwater and saltwater. Their shells are generally long and asymmetrical, whereas clams, another bivalve mollusk often found in restaurants, have symmetrical shells.

Answer: Cockles

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row."

This nursery rhyme mentions cockle shells -- cockles are bivalve mollusc in the cardiidae family. They live along the shoreline and people who live near the shore have used pieces of them to line their gardens.

You may also recognize the word cockle from a jump rope game: "Blue bells, cockle shells, easy, ivy, over."

Answer: Clam

A quahog is another name for a clam; it can also be called a hard clam or a round-shell clam. The quahog is native to the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and parts of Central America, and are very common in Chesapeake Bay. Native Americans used the shells for decoration and for trading.

The word "quahog," on a standard scrabble board with no extra boosters, is worth 19 points.

Answer: It's not - crayfish and crawfish are the same

Crayfish is a freshwater crustacean that's also known as crawfish, crawdads, and freshwater lobsters, among other names. Although many of them live in freshwater, some can tolerate more brackish water, such as that found in swamps. The Cajun way to eat a cooked crawfish is to pinch the tail with one hand and the head with the other; twist to break in half; remove the rings on the tail side; and eat the tail meat. Purists suck the head.

Answer: Flying

The octopus is almost freakishly intelligent. They have been reported to open jars, climb out of aquarium tanks, and climb into and hide in boat holds, munching on crabs. Flying is not one of their talents, however.

Answer: Calamari

Calamari is a popular food worldwide -- you'll find it in North America, China, North Africa, Asia, Greece, Turkey, the Philippines, and in Basque regions, just as a start. Dried, shredded squid is a common snack in several Asian countries.

Answer: True

They look alike, but prawns and shrimp are from two different suborders of the decapoda order. They both have five pair of legs, but prawns have claws on three of their legs, while shrimp have claws on two. Prawns release their eggs into water, while shrimp keep their eggs on the undercarriages. Eating-wise, however, they taste and cook up basically the same. You'll find more prawns in Australia and more shrimp in England.

This is all confused, of course, by the fact that the terms are used interchangeably by many consumers and even some retailers.

Answer: Cuttlefish

The cuttlefish not a fish but a cephalopodic mollusk related to the squid and the octopus, though that doesn't stop cuttlefish from eating their mollusk brethren. They're found in temperate coastal waters everywhere in the world except the Americas, and are considered quite intelligent, as scientists have documented some of their communication patterns.

But that does not stop humans from eating them; they're common in east Asian and European cuisines.

Answer: Ground beef

The lobster is a crustacean with ten legs. It lives in oceans worldwide, but thrives in the deep, cold water off the Atlantic coast of the U.S.; the state of Maine is known for its lobsters. Bisque is a creamy soup and does not involve ground beef.