Octopus as food facts for kids
Octopuses are amazing creatures that live in the ocean. Did you know that people in many parts of the world eat them? Octopus meat is prepared in different ways, depending on where you are and what kind of octopus it is.
Sometimes, octopuses are eaten while they are still alive. This practice is quite debated because scientists have found that octopuses can feel pain.
Octopus Dishes Around the World
People all over the globe enjoy octopus in many unique dishes. Here are some examples from different countries:
Japanese Octopus Dishes
Octopus is a very common food in Japanese cuisine. You might find it in popular dishes like sushi, takoyaki, and akashiyaki.
Takoyaki are small, round snacks. They are made from a special wheat flour batter cooked in a round pan. Inside, you'll find chopped octopus, crispy tempura bits, pickled ginger, and green onion. After cooking, takoyaki are brushed with a sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise. Finally, they are topped with seaweed strips and dried bonito shavings.
Korean Octopus Dishes
In Korean cuisine, large octopuses like the North Pacific giant octopus, along with smaller ones like the long arm octopus and webfoot octopus, are often used in meals.
In Korea, some small octopuses are sometimes eaten raw as a special dish called San-nakji. The octopus is usually cut into pieces, quickly seasoned with salt and sesame seeds, and eaten right away.
Nakji bokkeum is another popular Korean dish. It's a spicy stir-fry made with chopped octopus.
Maldivian Octopus Delicacy
Miruhulee boava is a special dish from the Maldives. It's made from octopus tentacles cooked slowly with curry leaves, chili, garlic, cloves, onion, pepper, and coconut oil.
Mauritian Octopus Meals
In Mauritius and Rodrigues, octopus is known as "Ourite" in Mauritian Creole. It's a common food, especially near the coast, because many octopuses live in Mauritian waters. However, their numbers have been decreasing recently. Popular octopus dishes include masala octopus curry or boiled octopus in a spicy tomato sauce, called "Daube."
Greek Octopus Preparations
In the Greek islands, you might see octopuses hanging in the sun from a rope, just like clothes drying! Fishermen often catch them close to the shore using spears. After catching them, they gently pound the octopus against a stone to make the meat tender. Then, they hang them to dry.
Later, the octopus can be grilled and served hot or cold in a salad. A common way to prepare it involves classic Greek seasonings like olive oil, garlic, oregano, pepper, and lemon juice. Octopus is often enjoyed as a superb meze (a small dish or appetizer), especially with ouzo, a traditional Greek drink.
Spanish Octopus Delicacy
Octopus is a very common food in Spain. In the Spanish region of Galicia, a dish called polbo á feira (which means "market fair-style octopus") is a local favorite. Restaurants that specialize in or serve this dish are known as pulperías.
Portuguese Octopus Dishes
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In Portugal, octopus is often eaten à lagareiro. This means it's roasted with potatoes, herbs, onion, garlic, and olive oil. It's also popular stewed with rice, known as arroz de polvo. Sometimes, octopus is breaded and deep-fried, served with rice and beans.
Tunisian Octopus Dishes
Octopus is a common food in Mediterranean cuisine, including Tunisian cuisine.
On the Tunisian islands of Djerba and Kerkennah islands, local people have a clever way to catch octopuses. They use the octopuses' habit of hiding in safe places at night. In the evening, they place grey ceramic pots on the sea bed. The next morning, they check the pots for octopuses that have hidden inside. Unlike some of its neighbors, Tunisia uses a lot of seafood, including octopus. It's grilled, roasted, or added to dishes like couscous, pastas, or chorbas (soups).
Turkish Octopus Appetizers
In Turkey, octopus is widely used for mezes, which are small appetizers. In fish restaurants, octopus salad (ahtapot salatası) is a very popular cold meze, often served with eggplant. Octopus can also be prepared hot, either grilled or as a casserole.
Hawaiian Octopus Dishes
Octopus is regularly eaten in Hawaii. Many popular dishes there have Asian origins. Locals call octopus he'e in Hawaiian or tako in Japanese. Octopus is also a popular bait for fishing.
Nutritional Value of Octopus
Octopus can be a healthy food! According to the USDA (in 2007), cooked octopus has about 56 calories per 100 grams. It's a good source of important nutrients like vitamin B3, B12, potassium, phosphorus, and selenium.
However, it's important to know that octopus heads can have higher levels of selenium and also a metal called cadmium. In 2010, some octopus heads imported to South Korea from China had much higher levels of cadmium than allowed.
