Why do you think it wasn’t that easy to have them on the table? Well, it was you (or someone close to you) who had to dive in the water and catch the food with your own hands. Of course, diving for mussels and other shellfish wouldn’t be everyone’s idea of the best holiday, right?
OK, let’s learn something more about this extraordinary food!
Black mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) is also popular as The Mediterranean mussel. In fact, it’s known as the first twin-shelled mollusk about which Europe knows. Did you know they were first mentioned back in 1235 in France?! Later on, people started cultivating the species all over the European coast. You already know that mussels are known to be super rich in proteins, right? Well, it turns out people used them as food even in Antiquity. Today we believe mussels are an excellent choice because they are both dietetic (100g contain only 86 calories) and high in easy-to-digest proteins. Actually, if we compare this particular type of seafood to some other sort of meat like beef, we might get a little surprised. Lab results show that both foods are almost equal when it comes to proteins. Mussels are even thought to contain 10 times more calcium and 2 times more phosphorus. Great news, huh! What’s more, they have about 1-1,5% fat, 1,5-3,5% carbs (mostly glycogen), minerals like iron, copper, manganese, iodine, cobalt and vitamins from the B group (B1,B2,B12) as well as vit. A and C. If you want to read more about mussels’ health benefits, check out this article!
What about the culinary preferences? Of course, each country likes its own versions when it comes to seafood. The classic French mussels recipe includes lots of herbs, butter and wine, while in Spain people put them inside the popular paella. Greeks, on the other hand, are famous for their Greek mussel saganaki, which they serve with tomatoes and cheese (of course!).
Did you learn new and interesting stuff from this article? Hit the comments down below and share with us what else you know about mussels!
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