- 68 — 

 HINTS ON THE USE OF CLAMS 



What species of bivalves are to be eaten? The chief edible species 

 have been indicated in the precedins; pages. In the absence of posi- 

 tive identification it may be remembered that no species is nnfit for 

 food if fresh and if taken from pure water. ]\Iany forms are too 

 small to be nsed conveniently for food and some others, as the white 

 sand clam (Macoma secta), have sand in the alimentary canal and are 

 for this reason unpalatable, some are obviously of better -flavor than 

 others, but none are harmful or dangerous. 



Of more, importance than the species, are precautions in regard to 

 the selection of the clams used. Like other meat they spoil readily 

 and for this reason only fresh and living ones should be utilizecl. 

 Fortunately this fact is very easily determined. The ligament of the 

 ])ivalve shell will cause it to open if it is not held closed by the activity 

 of the muscles, hence any shell that gapes and fails to close promptly 

 when touched is dead or moribund and unfit for food. Only those 

 tightly closed or closing promptly should be used or accepted from the 

 markets. 



Another point of importance is that of contamination. All bivalves, 

 from their habit of feeding, in which great quantities of water are 

 pumped through the body, are particularly prone to contamination 

 if the water in which they live is polluted. For this reason it is 

 unwise to use for food any clams or oysters coming from bays receiv- 

 ing sewage, or refuse' from certain manufacturing plants. The State 

 Board of Health has the power to close such areas and so protect 

 the public. In no event should the clams or oy.sters be eaten raw 

 unless there is the best of evidence that they come from a region 

 where contamination is impossible. 



At what season of the year should they be used I The presence of an 

 "r" in the month is so ingenious and clinging a mnemonic trick that it 

 is on everyone's tongue, but like some other sayings it is of no signifi- 

 cance. The summer is the season least fitted for shipping as clams are 

 readily affected by the heat and they are "poorest," in^the phrase of 

 the digger, immediately following the breeding season, but there is no 

 time of year when they are unfit for food. 



The first step in preparation concerns the shell. If the clam is 

 intended for steaming it should be thoroughly cleaned, for other uses, 

 it should be removed. Shelling is not difficult except in the case of 

 forms with heavy valves siseh as the Pismo clam, which at first sight 

 appears unassailable but with a little care a thin bladed knife can be 

 forced between the valves and the big adductor muscles cut, after 

 which the shell will open of its own accord. If, as sometimes happens, 

 the mantle cavity contains sand or mud, it should be washed out, 

 otherwise the liquor that drains off during cleaning should be saved. 



What part of the clam is to be eaten? There is no more reason for 

 rejecting any part of a clam than for rejecting any part of an oyster, 

 and oysters are always eaten entire. Even the liver, the dark greenish 

 or black mass near the hinge, which some people discard on account 

 of its color, is rich in glj^cogen or animal starch, the source of the 

 sweet taste of fried clams. 



