NPD & RECIPES
WHAT IS A MUSSEL?
The blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) is a native species of Irish Waters. A bivalve (two hinged shell), filter feeding mollusc and shellfish, it thrives in the cold temperate waters of the Irish Coast.
A mussel or shellfish grows the same way that all living things grow. They turn the food they eat into energy to make the cells that are the building bocks that allow both the shell and the meat itself grow.
Blue mussels live in intertidal areas attached to rocks and ropes by strong (and somewhat elastic) thread-like structures called "Byssal thread", commonly known as the beard. Byssus or the beard are natural fine fibers or threads produced by a gland in the mussel and is used to attach themselves to the ropes or rocks like an anchor or mooring line.
Blue mussels have a smooth, blue/black shell which is elongated and somewhat pearshaped and contains the tender, plump, cream to orange coloured meats. This species may grow up to 4 inches long.
Rope grown mussels are cultivated using ropes suspended from barrels. It takes an average of 18 months for mussels to reach market size.
Interesting Mussel Facts
• Mussels are cultured in approximately 40 countries around the globe.
• Mussels filter 10 – 15 gallons of seawater daily.
• To check if a mussel is alive, immerse the mussel in fresh water, if its shell closes, it’s alive.
• During elections in ancient Greece, votes were cast by scratching the names of candidates inside mussel shells.
• Blue mussels have been cultivated for almost 800 years in Europe, and been used as a food source for more than 20,000 years.
• The bay mussel, Mytilus trossulus is part of an ongoing long term environmental monitoring program in Prince William Sound, Alaska, the area affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The study examines hydrocarbon signatures in order to have a more complete understanding of ecosystem recovery following the spill.
• The byssus threads of mussels are sometimes known as “beards”
• The byssus threads of mussels are so strong that they can even cling to a Teflon surface. Scientists are now trying to develop a mussel-based adhesive for use in eye surgery.
• The dog whelk is one of the mussel’s main predators. It bores a hole through the shell and sucks out the soft parts. The mussel can sometimes exact revenge by attaching a byssal thread onto the dog whelk’s shell thus trapping it. The whelk then starves to death imprisoned on the dead mussel shell.
• Blue mussels are preyed upon by starfish such as Asterias vulgaris
• Under certain conditions mussels can live up to 50 years.
• The meat of female mussels is orange while the males’ are creamy white.
• A Prince Edward Island webcam, focused on the development of a single mussel, has been named one of the top 25 most interesting webcams worldwide. The site receives between 800 and 1000 visits each day.
