Editing Clam (section)

== Culinary ==
{{Cookbook|Clam}}
Cultures around the world eat clams along with many other types of shellfish.

=== North America ===
In culinary use, within the eastern coast of the United States and large swathes of [[the Maritimes]] of Canada, the term "clam" most often refers to the [[hard clam]], ''[[Mercenaria mercenaria]]''. It may also refer to a few other common edible species, such as the [[soft-shell clam]], ''Mya arenaria'', and the ocean quahog, ''[[Arctica islandica]]''. Another species commercially exploited on the [[Atlantic]] Coast of the United States is the surf clam, ''[[Spisula solidissima]]''. [[Scallop]]s are also used for food nationwide, but not [[Cockle (bivalve)|cockles]]: they are more difficult to get than in Europe because of their habit of being further out in the tide than European species on the West Coast, and on the East Coast they are often found in salt marshes and mudflats where mosquitoes are abundant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/clams/cockles.html|title=Clams|publisher=Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife|website=Fishing & Shellfishing|access-date=8 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316220015/https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/clams/cockles.html|archive-date=2018-03-16|url-status=dead}}<br>- {{cite web|title=Cockle|date=23 January 2014|website=SeafoodSource|publisher=Diversified Communications|url=https://www.seafoodsource.com/seafood-handbook/shellfish/cockle}}</ref>  There are several edible species in the Eastern United States: ''[[Americardia media]],''  also known as the strawberry cockle, is found from Cape Hatteras down into the Caribbean Sea and all of Florida; ''[[Trachycardium muricatum]]'' has a similar range to the strawberry cockle; and ''[[Dinocardium robustum]]'', which grows to be many times the size of the European cockle.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Atlantic Giant Cockle (Dinocardium robustum)|url=http://oceanica.cofc.edu/shellguide/shells/giantcockle.htm|access-date=8 November 2021|publisher= College of Charleston}}</ref> Historically, they were caught on a small scale on the [[Outer Banks]], barrier islands off North Carolina, and put in soups, steamed or pickled.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Smith|first=Prudence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nYBxSUcWBJQC&q=cockle+recipe+america&pg=PA109|title=Modern American Cookery ... With a list of family medical recipes, and a valuable miscellany|page=109|publisher= J. and J. Harper|date=1831|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Up and down the coast of the Eastern U.S., the [[Atlantic jackknife clam|bamboo clam]], ''Ensis directus'', is prized by Americans for making [[clam strips]], although because of its nature of burrowing into the sand very close to the beach, it cannot be harvested by mechanical means without damaging the beaches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/197697.pdf|title=dredging of clams|access-date=16 March 2018|archive-date=16 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316215110/http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/197697.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The bamboo clam is also notorious for having a very sharp edge of its shell, and when harvested by hand must be handled with great care.

On the U.S. West Coast, there are several species that have been consumed for thousands of years, evidenced by [[midden]]s full of clamshells near the shore and their consumption by nations including the [[Chumash people|Chumash]] of California, the [[Nisqually people|Nisqually]] of [[Washington (state)|Washington state]] and the [[Tsawwassen First Nation|Tsawwassen]] of [[British Columbia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yelmhistoryproject.com/?p=674|title=Nisqually People and the River|publisher=Yelm History Project|access-date=2018-03-10|archive-date=13 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913173753/http://www.yelmhistoryproject.com/?p=674|url-status=dead}}<br>- {{Cite news|url=https://classroom.synonym.com/what-did-the-chumash-eat-12083749.html|title=What Did the Chumash Eat?|website=Classroom|author=Sophia Cross|date=29 September 2017|access-date=8 November 2021}}<br>- {{Cite web|url=http://tsawwassenfirstnation.com/general-info/tfn-history-and-timeline/|title=Tsawwassen First Nation History and Timeline|date=November 10, 2011|publisher=Tsawwassen First Nation|access-date=10 November 2018|archive-date=11 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111000132/http://tsawwassenfirstnation.com/general-info/tfn-history-and-timeline/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The butter clam, ''[[Saxidomus gigantea]]'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/other-sports/plenty-of-clams-oysters-in-puget-sound-and-hood-canal/|title=Plenty of clams, oysters in Puget Sound and Hood Canal|author= Mark Yuasa|date=2015-06-27|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=8 November 2021}}</ref> the Pacific razor clam, ''[[Siliqua patula]],''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/dig-those-razor-clams/Content?oid=7775381|title=Dig Those Razor Clams|last=Kelly|first=Mike|website=North Coast Journal|date=1 February 2018|access-date=8 November 2021}}</ref> gaper clams ''[[Tresus capax]]'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://theworldlink.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/oregon-clam-chowder/article_c4c50bdb-5a0e-565b-a820-1d40a7547ba5.html|title=Oregon clam chowder|last=Lackner|first=Bill|work=Coos Bay World|access-date=2018-03-10}}</ref> the geoduck clam, ''[[Panopea generosa]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/05/what-is-a-geoduck-clam-seattle-pacific-northwest-how-geoduck-are-farmed.html|title=All About Geoduck: The Life of a (Delicious) Oversized Mollusk|website=serious eats|author= Naomi Tomky|date=10 August 2018|access-date=8 November 2021}}</ref> and the Pismo clam, ''[[Tivela stultorum]]''<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2013/apr/12/digging-pismo-clams-san-diego-beaches/|title=Digging for Pismo clams at San Diego Beaches|author=Christopher Young|date=12 April 2013|work=San Diego Reader|access-date=8 November 2021}}</ref> are all eaten as delicacies.

Clams can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, baked or [[Fried clams|fried]]. They can also be made into [[clam chowder]], [[clams casino]], [[clam cakes]], or [[Stuffed clam|stuffies]], or they can be cooked using hot rocks and seaweed in a [[New England clam bake]]. On the West Coast, they are an ingredient in making [[cioppino]] and local variants of [[ceviche]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://langdoncook.com/category/razor-clams/|title=razor clams |author=Langdon Cook |date=4 April 2014 |access-date=2018-03-16}}</ref>

===Asia===
==== India ====
Clams are eaten more in the coastal regions of India, especially in the Konkan, [[Kerala]], [[Bengal]] and coastal regions of [[Karnataka]], [[Tamil Nadu]] regions.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

In [[Kerala]], clams are used to make curries and fried with coconut. In the [[Malabar region]] it is known as "elambakka" and in middle kerala it is known as "kakka". Clam curry made with coconut is a dish from Malabar especially in the [[Thalassery]] region. On the southwestern coast of [[India]], also known as the [[Konkan]] region of [[Maharashtra]], clams are used in curries and side dishes, like Tisaryachi Ekshipi, which is clams with one shell on. [[Beary]] Muslim households in the [[Mangalore]] region prepare a main dish with clams called Kowldo Pinde. In [[Udupi]] and [[Mangalore]] regions, it is called {{lang|tcy|marvai}} in the local [[Tulu language]]. It is used to prepare many dishes like {{lang|tcy|[[marvai sukka]]}}, {{lang|tcy|marvai gassi}}, and {{lang|tcy|marvai pundi}}.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

==== Japan ====
In Japan, clams are often an ingredient of mixed seafood dishes. They can also be made into [[hot pot]], [[miso soup]] or [[tsukudani]]. The more commonly used varieties of clams in Japanese cooking are the '''Shijimi''' (''[[Corbicula japonica]]''), the '''Asari''' (''[[Venerupis philippinarum]]'') and the '''Hamaguri''' (''[[Meretrix lusoria]]'').<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kasai|first1=Akihide|last2=Toyohara|first2=Haruhiko|last3=Nakata|first3=Akiko|last4=Miura|first4=Tsunehiro|last5=Azuma|first5=Nobuyuki|date=2006-01-01|title=Food sources for the bivalve Corbicula japonica in the foremost fishing lakes estimated from stable isotope analysis|journal=Fisheries Science|language=en|volume=72|issue=1|pages=105–114|doi=10.1111/j.1444-2906.2006.01123.x|bibcode=2006FisSc..72..105K |s2cid=26905032|issn=1444-2906}}</ref>

===Europe===
==== Great Britain ====
The rocky terrain and pebbly shores of the seacoast that surrounds [[Great Britain]] provide ample habitat for shellfish including clams. Historically, British cuisine has been more heavily based on beef and dairy products than seafood, although there is evidence going back to before most recorded history of coastal shell middens near Weymouth and present day York.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.5334/ai.0207|title=Mesolithic middens and molluscan ecology: A view from southern Britain|year=1998|last1=Thomas|first1=Ken|last2=Mannino|first2=Marcello|journal=Archaeology International|volume=2|pages=17|doi-access=free}}</ref> 70% of the seafood cultivated for aquaculture or commercial harvesting is exported to the continent,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2019/04/10/trade-insights-more-than-70-of-uk-seafood-exports-go-to-eu/|title = Trade insights: More than 70% of UK seafood exports go to EU|work=undercurrent news|author=Louise Harkell|date=10 April 2021|accessdate=8 November 2021}}</ref> though present-day younger populations are eating more of the catch than a generation ago.{{fact|date=March 2025}}

Staple favourites of the British public and local scavengers include the razorfish, ''[[Ensis siliqua]]'', a slightly smaller cousin of the [[Atlantic jackknife clam|bamboo clam]] of eastern North America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://britishseafishing.co.uk/razorfish/|title=Razorfish|website=British Sea Fishing|date=12 October 2012}}</ref> These can be found for sale in open-air markets like Billingsgate Market in London; they have a similar taste to their North American cousin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-razor-clams-on-display-in-billingsgate-fish-market-london-74063195.html|title=Razor Clams on display in Billingsgate Fish Market, London|publisher=Alamy}}</ref> Cockles, specifically the [[common cockle]], are a staple find on beaches in western Wales and further north in the [[Dee Estuary]]. The accidentally introduced hard-shell quahog is also found in British waters, mainly those near England, and does see some use in British cuisine. The [[Grooved carpet shell|Palourde clam]] by far is the most common native clam and it is both commercially harvested as well as locally collected, and ''[[Spisula solida]]'', a relative of the Atlantic surf clam on the other side of the Atlantic, is seeing increased interest as a food source and aquaculture candidate; it is mainly found in the British Isles in Europe.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1111/are.12593|title=New species in aquaculture: Are the striped venus clam ''Chamelea'' gallina(Linnaeus, 1758) and the surf clam ''Spisula'' solida(Linnaeus 1758) potential candidates for diversification in shellfish aquaculture?|year=2016|last1=Joaquim|first1=Sandra|last2=Matias| first2=Domitília|last3=Matias|first3=Ana Margarete|last4=Gonçalves| first4=Rui|last5=Chícharo|first5=Luís|last6=Gaspar|first6=Miguel B.|journal=Aquaculture Research|volume=47|issue=4|pages=1327–1340|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==== Italy ====
In Italy, clams are often an ingredient of mixed seafood dishes or are eaten together with pasta. The more commonly used varieties of clams in Italian cooking are the ''[[Veneridae|vongola]]'' ''([[Venerupis decussata]])'', the ''[[Mussel|cozza]]'' ''(Mytilus galloprovincialis)'' and the ''[[tellina]]'' ''([[Donax trunculus]])''. Though ''[[Lithophaga|dattero di mare]]'' ''(Lithophaga lithophaga)'' was once eaten, [[overfishing]] drove it to the verge of extinction (it takes 15 to 35 years to reach adult size and could only be harvested by smashing the calcarean rocks that form its habitat) and the Italian government has declared it an [[endangered species]] since 1998 and its harvest and sale are forbidden.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}