These are the differences between squid and cuttlefish!

In real life, squid and cuttlefish are both common foods and belong to seafood. There are certain differences between squid and cuttlefish. Cuttlefish is rich in various proteins and nutrients, while squid has delicious meat and tastes smooth. Squid is also very nutritious and is suitable for grilling or cooking.

Cuttlefish is also called squid, cuttlefish, and eyefish. It belongs to the cephalopod class of mollusks and has a wide distribution area. It is produced along the coasts of China, North Korea, Japan and Europe. The largest production is found in my country's Zhoushan Islands. The peak seasons are February to March in the South China Sea, April to May in the East China Sea, June to July in the Yellow Sea, and October to November in the Bohai Sea. Cuttlefish meat, eggs, and spine (known as sea cucumber in traditional Chinese medicine) can all be used as medicine. Li Shizhen called cuttlefish a "blood medicine" and said it is an excellent delicacy for women with anemia, blood deficiency and amenorrhea.

Although cuttlefish and squid belong to the same family, they have obvious differences: cuttlefish has a large cuttlefish bone in the middle, while squid has only a strip of gelatinous cartilage on its back. Dried cuttlefish has thick flesh and short body, and is dark brown in color; dried squid has long body and thick flesh, and is purple-pink or pink in color.

Dried cuttlefish or dried squid are best when they are thick and dry, well-proportioned in shape, large and even slices, have an authentic seafood smell, have a smooth and clean meat plate, are free of white frost, and have no green mold or black spots. Some vendors roll damp and moldy dried cuttlefish in sifted fine dry bean powder, so that the appearance looks like salt frost on the dried cuttlefish, and they pass off inferior products as genuine ones. When purchasing, just pinch it lightly with your fingertips a few times. If your fingers feel slippery and sticky, you know it is a counterfeit product.

Cuttlefish and squid of the same weight have a shorter body length than cuttlefish; squid is one quarter to one fifth longer than cuttlefish. But after cutting open, the meat on both sides of the cuttlefish is wider than that of the squid.

Similarities:

Cuttlefish and squid are both in the order Decapoda, which means they have ten small claws and both have ink streaks.

Which is more expensive, squid or cuttlefish?

Cuttlefish is much more nutritious than squid, otherwise, why do barbecue restaurants sell so many squids?

Distinguishing the two dry goods

Dried squid

Squid is known for its dryness and delicate texture. It has a complete, shiny and clean body, a color similar to that of dried shrimp, a layer of white powder on the surface, and is dry and light in taste. The best quality ones are those that are complete, shiny and clean. Those that are damp or have the powder film peeled off are defective products, while those that have spots or a musty smell are inferior or deteriorated products.

Dried cuttlefish

High-quality dried cuttlefish has a complete shape, bright color, clean flesh, is flat and thick, is brown-red and translucent, and has a fresh fragrance. The soft and inferior ones have black spots on the surface, pink-white, and dark red on the back.