SQUID...SQUID...SQUID - Part 1

 WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SQUID?

Squid as Food

Many species of squid are popular as food in cuisines as diverse as Chinese, Greek, Turkish, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese,  Filipino, Malaysians and Thais.

Calamari...deep fried breaded squid with sauce

Strangely, in English-speaking countries, squid as food is very often marketed using the Italian word calamari. 

Squid are found abundantly in certain areas, and provide large catches for fisheries. The body can be stuffed whole, cut into flat pieces or sliced into rings. The arms, tentacles and ink are also edible; in fact, the only parts that are not eaten are the beak and gladius (pen). Squid is a good food source for zinc, manganese and high in the recommended daily intake of copper, selenium, vitamin B12, and riboflavin.

However, in some Asian countries particularly in South East Asia, squid is a very popular food. In Malaysia, fresh squid is sold up to MYR18.00 (at about USD6 ) per kilogram or at higher price if the size is bigger. The price of squid is higher than sardine, mackerel or barracuda per kilogram.

In my place ( Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia ), squid is our local favorite.Our ancestors have had created so many recipes of squid and most had been inherited to new generations.

I will start it with one popular local squid food. It is our treat, our local pride called "ketupat sotong Terengganu" something that you can't find it outside of Malaysia...or perhaps outside of Terengganu in particular by its name?

I'll show some pictures of the treat now. The recipe will follow in next blog.

This one in the right picture is a bit dry with no gravy.
Ketupat sotong Terengganu must be enjoyed with its own cooked gravy like the one in bottom picture.

This is the real one of our local treat!!! I personally will go crazy for this one!

cross section of the cooked squid with fixed glutinous rice inside and gravy

You must come to my place to enjoy this food...