Calamari

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Calamari is the name given to squid used for food in English-speaking countries. The most common preparation is lightly battered and flash fried. Overcooking causes squid to become very tough, and inedible. It is generally served as an appetizer at Mediterranean and seafood restaurants.

Parsley and a lemon wedge are typical garnishes for calamari. Dipping sauces change regionally and range from tzatziki to marinara. Nearly every part of a squid is edible, even the ink. Throughout the Mediterranean, squid and cuttlefish ink is eaten in a variety of soups and pasta dishes. The arms and tentacles are most commonly eaten and the only part that cannot be eaten is the beak and gladius.

Another version of calamari involves slow simmering of the squid, often in a tomato-based sauce. In China, squid is chopped up, coated in salt and pepper and served with a spicy chili garnish. The Koreans have an especially perverse preparation – they take live squid from a tank, kill it, clean it and serve it with the tentacles still moving. It is called ojingohe and it’s served with wasabi, chili pepper, sesame or soy sauce.

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