elephant’s trunk Though most are 3 lb/1.5 kg, geoducks can reach 15 lb/8 kg with a neck 3 ft/1 m long! Food Words: Mollusc, Abalone, Clam, Oyster, Scallop, Squid The general term for these hard-shelled creatures, mollusc, comes from the IndoEuropean root mel, meaning “soft,” which the inner body parts indeed are Abalone entered English via Spanish from the Monterey Indian word for this streamlined snai l , aulun Clam began in the IndoEuropean gel, a compact mass: cloud, cling, and clamp are its linguistic relatives Mussel derives from the Indo-European mus, meaning both “mouse” and “muscle,” which moves quickly like a mouse under the skin Since mussels hardly move at all, their dark, oblong shapes must have suggested the comparison Oyster, from the Indo-European ost, “bone,” names the mollusc with the heavy and bone-colored s h e l l Scallop, with its unusually symmetrical and patterned valves, comes via the Middle French escalope, from a Germanic word for “shell.” And squid? To date, the linguists are stumped It appeared out of nowhere in the 17th century Their burrowing and siphoning musculature makes clams fairly chewy creatures The tenderer portions of large clams (mantle, quick muscle) may be cut out and prepared separately The large geoduck neck is usually scalded and the tough protective skin removed before the meat is sliced and/or pounded very thin for eating raw or either gentle or prolonged cooking Mussels The handful of mussel species we usually eat have become cosmopolitan: they have hitched rides or been intentionally introduced to various parts of the world, where they both grow naturally and are ... date, the linguists are stumped It appeared out of nowhere in the 17th century Their burrowing and siphoning musculature makes clams fairly chewy creatures The tenderer portions of large clams (mantle, quick muscle) may be cut out... or either gentle or prolonged cooking Mussels The handful of mussel species we usually eat have become cosmopolitan: they have hitched rides or been intentionally introduced to various parts of the world, where they... clams (mantle, quick muscle) may be cut out and prepared separately The large geoduck neck is usually scalded and the tough protective skin removed before the meat is sliced and/ or pounded very thin for eating raw or either gentle or prolonged cooking