italian cooking recipesitalian cooking recipes        italian cooking     italian cooking recipes  italian cooking recipes

video recipes on Youtube

italian starters recipes

finger food/appetizers

rice/risotto recipes

spaghetti and pasta recipes

soups recipes

main courses recipes

single courses recipes

sweets recipes

sorbets recipes

recipes for drinks

basic recipes

preserved foods recipes

italian sauces
pictures of italian foods for sale

summary  tables

homemade pasta dough recipes

fish recipes

vegetarian recipes

chicken recipes

beef recipes

pork recipes

gluten-free

white meat poultry recipes

lamb/sheep recipes

traditional recipes

cold dishes recipes

volovant/vol au vent

potato gnocchi recipes

recipes with egg pasta

panzerotti recipes

low calorie recipes

holyday and celebration recipes

encyclopaedia

italian cooking words

Italian cooking tools

the fish

kinds of  pasta

how eat spaghetti

italian eating habits

beef meat cuts

sheep meat cuts

pork meat cuts

other meats

guide to recipes

culinary news

contact

Italian cuisine
italian cuisine at home
Promote Your Page Too


Italian Cuisine at Home
on Google+

ITALIAN RECIPES TRADITIONAL AND CREATIVE 

Italian language

Spanish version

The description and the Italian recipes of the cephalopods 

  The cuttlefish (seppia): description and Italian names

(Sepia officinalis) 

The European or common cuttlefish reaches a maximum mantle length of 17 in (45 cm) . The mantle (main body area above the eyes) houses the cuttlebone, reproductive organs, and digestive organs. A pair of flat fins span the entire length of the mantle, and they undulate rapidly when the cuttlefish swim. The head is located at the base of the mantle, with two large eyes on either side and a beaklike jaw in the centre. The jaws are encircled by eight pairs of arms and two longer tentacles that can be retracted completely into the body. Adults can be recognized by the white lines branching from the base of the flared third arms.
The basic coloring of the common cuttlefish varies, although it typically displays a mottled black or brown color. Cuttlefish (Sepiida) are in an Order of cephalopods that possess an internal shell called the cuttlebone. The cuttlebone is made of calcium carbonate and plays a dominant role in these cephalopods  buoyancy; it is divided into tiny chambers in which the cuttlefish can fill or empty of gas, depending on its needs
The name Sepia refers to the type of ink it houses within its body. This ink is used to deceive large predators when they try to attack the cuttlefish. When a predator is near, the ink is shot out into the water to confuse the predator, while the cuttlefish swims to safety.

This ink is very appreciated due its strong sea flavor   and used for many recipes as rice, spaghetti and also for coloring the egg pasta. It can be taken either  from the fresh fish or purchased preserved in small bags.  If fresh, must be taken directly from the fish. In fact it deteriorates very soon, so it is inadvisable to by separate from fish. The greater is their size the softer is their meat.  So prefer always the greatest cuttlefishes, either frozen or fresh. It is suitable for many cookings : stuffed, stewed, grilled…the most important is a quick cooking, in this manner you avoid the meats to harden. For cleansing remove the bone,  sand,  ink bag, the eyes and the jaw.

The Italian cuttlefishes step-by-step photographed recipes proposed by Italian Homemade Cooking

go to the home page