Octopus - an animal that swims in the sea, there is a huge number of national cuisines, and even appeared to predict the results of football matches. But if the latter are interested in more sports fans, its quality, can serve as a high culinary art can be useful to many more admirers. And if you've never tried octopus meat, perhaps after reading this material, you will have such a desire.

Octopus with squid, cuttlefish and other cephalopods is part of a large family of marine invertebrates. Octopus vulgaris or common octopus is found in many warm-water seas, but especially a lot of it in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the coastal waters of Japan, the Azores, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. Octopus is different from their relatives on the family of eight tentacles, which are two rows of suckers.

Cook the octopus in many parts of the world, but mainly in the Mediterranean countries (Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Tunisia) and in Asia, particularly in Japan. Among the ways of cooking octopus greatest originality differ Koreans who eat him alive, and the Greeks, who octopuses hung to dry them. In France, too, appreciate the octopus, mainly in the Northeast, in Provence.

To enjoy the octopus cooked, it should be able to choose, make it soft flesh and properly prepared.

Selecting octopus

It is believed that the most delicious octopus is a young male, but this rule does not need to adhere unquestioningly. If the octopus is fresh and if properly cook it, it can become a delicious, satisfying the needs of the most discerning palate.

When buying, pay attention to the fact that the octopus has to be elastic, dense, shiny, fresh "iodized" flavor. But, of course, in the store you can find not only fresh chilled, frozen and octopus.

With regard to the quantity or volume, remember that like a lot of seafood, octopus during cooking loses moisture and shrinks. On four people will need one to two kilograms of product.

Clean octopus

We need to cut off the head of an octopus (you can leave it whole), then pull out of the body organs and nerve tissue with a thin sharp knife. It is also necessary to cut the mouth (beak) octopus, which is between the tentacles. If a large octopus, you can remove the skin from the head and tentacles, but many skip this step and do it after the heat treatment. Then carefully wash the carcass of an octopus under cold water.

Mitigating octopus

After cleaning the octopus next important stage - the mitigation of its meat. It is necessary, that it did not "rubber". Mitigating octopus - a point that is done in different countries in different ways. For example, in Greece the carcass heavily beaten with stones or pounded it with a rolling pin. In Spain, the meat before cooking blanch a few times - dipped in boiling water. If you buy frozen octopus, it is necessary to defrost before cooking, but it's better to do it in a natural way, giving him soak in the refrigerator for at least a day. This will be enough to come down the ice with the product, and the meat was ready for further processing. Do not thaw frozen octopus in a microwave oven Microwave - irreplaceable assistant modern housewife .

Cooking octopus

Most recipes recommend the octopus from fifteen to forty-five minutes in a spicy broth or boiling in water, but the water temperature and duration of aging depends on the size of the octopus and its elasticity. To test the readiness of the octopus, it is necessary to carefully pierce it with a knife, which should be easy to go into it, but the meat should not fall apart. It is also possible, after thirty minutes of boiling in boiling water to remove it from the heat and put in cold water. If you have not removed the skin from the octopus during cleaning, it's time to do it after he decoctions. Octopus meat can be cooked without water - simmer for twenty to thirty minutes in a small amount of olive oil. You need to add salt at the end of cooking.

Once the octopus was cooked, it can be added to salads, stews, baked in the oven, or bring to full readiness on the grill.

Octopus in the kitchens of the world

Octopus is at a premium in the French Provence. They love him in the stew, salads, vegetable stews, where it can be combined with other seafood such as cuttlefish, squid. In Sete (city in the south of France) are preparing pies with filling, which includes meat octopus, who prepared and sold here since the thirties of the last century. On the Antilles sea stew made with octopus. In Greece, a very popular salad with octopus and grilled, stewed and even dried octopus. Italians love salads with octopus, olive oil, stewed with tomatoes, sauce with red wine, as well as pies Patties. Hospitable dish   with stuffing. In Spain, tapas bar can be found traditional potato salad with octopus. Considerable space is devoted to Octopus in Portuguese cuisine, where it is also present in various forms and dishes, grilled, stewed in a sauce or salad with lots of parsley.

In Asia, too, they are very fond of octopus. Especially in Japan, where it is often made of the land Sushi - Japanese delicacy   and rolls. But the most famous recipe is takoyaki - fried dough balls stuffed with octopus.

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