Import Export: Abalone Pasta

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Abalone Pasta

The abalone is a gastropod found in most of the oceans in the world and prized as a culinary treat among the Japanese and residents of the West Coast of the United States, among others. Due to concerns about over harvesting, many nations have limits on how many may be taken, and some entrepreneurs have opened abalone farms so that they can be harvested and sold legally. Like other edible gastropods, the part that is eaten is the large muscular foot, which forms the majority of the body.An abalone is a univalve, meaning that it has one shell, rather than two symmetrical shells, like with clams and oysters. The shell is a slightly flatted whorl, resembling an ear, with a slightly elevated apex at the center of the spiral. Along one edge of the shell, there are small holes to support respiration, and the creature lurks inside the shell, clinging to rocks with its foot while it searches for algae and other food sources. If the abalone can be prised from a rock, the entire underside of the foot is exposed. The inside of a shell resembles mother of pearl, and is frequently used ornamentally in jewelry and inlay, while the outside of the shell is reddish brown in color. Most host seaweeds and smaller mollusks on their shells for camouflage.