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| The 'phallic' clam America sends to China | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| It's not the most beautiful dinner to look at and it has a very odd name... but in China the geoduck is an expensive delicacy, so on North America's Pacific coast the race is on to farm them and cash in. | It's not the most beautiful dinner to look at and it has a very odd name... but in China the geoduck is an expensive delicacy, so on North America's Pacific coast the race is on to farm them and cash in. |
| The first thing people notice is the shape - it's not nicknamed the King Clam for nothing. | The first thing people notice is the shape - it's not nicknamed the King Clam for nothing. |
| Its long, probing siphon bulges out of its shell and burrows through the sand - sucking in sea water, and squirting it out again (minus vital nutrients) from its tip. | Its long, probing siphon bulges out of its shell and burrows through the sand - sucking in sea water, and squirting it out again (minus vital nutrients) from its tip. |
| Even its name sounds peculiar when pronounced correctly: "gooey-duck". | Even its name sounds peculiar when pronounced correctly: "gooey-duck". |
| It is the largest burrowing clam in the world and can weigh up to 16lb (7.25kg), but it has another claim to fame. | It is the largest burrowing clam in the world and can weigh up to 16lb (7.25kg), but it has another claim to fame. |
| It tastes delicious. | It tastes delicious. |
| So delicious in fact that diners at high-end seafood restaurants in China will pay up to $300 (£200) for a fresh geoduck imported live from Canada or the US. | So delicious in fact that diners at high-end seafood restaurants in China will pay up to $300 (£200) for a fresh geoduck imported live from Canada or the US. |
| Its delicate texture and exotic looks are prized by connoisseurs - who consider the "elephant trunk clam", as it is known in China, to be an aphrodisiac. | Its delicate texture and exotic looks are prized by connoisseurs - who consider the "elephant trunk clam", as it is known in China, to be an aphrodisiac. |
| "You really feel a mouthful of the Pacific... it's slippery, it's very tender, very sweet," said diners interviewed by the BBC in Beijing. | "You really feel a mouthful of the Pacific... it's slippery, it's very tender, very sweet," said diners interviewed by the BBC in Beijing. |
| Geoduck - the vital statistics | Geoduck - the vital statistics |
| Back in the US, surprisingly few Americans have ever heard of geoduck, let alone tasted this delicacy that inhabits their shores. | Back in the US, surprisingly few Americans have ever heard of geoduck, let alone tasted this delicacy that inhabits their shores. |
| You won't find many on dinner tables. Instead - more than 90% of harvested clams are flown straight to China and Hong Kong. It's a lucrative business but demand outstrips supply, leaving seafood firms struggling to keep up. | You won't find many on dinner tables. Instead - more than 90% of harvested clams are flown straight to China and Hong Kong. It's a lucrative business but demand outstrips supply, leaving seafood firms struggling to keep up. |
| Bill Dewey, whose firm Taylor Shellfish has been farming oysters since 1890 on the tidelands of Puget Sound in Washington State, has spent the last 25 years attempting to build a geoduck business. | Bill Dewey, whose firm Taylor Shellfish has been farming oysters since 1890 on the tidelands of Puget Sound in Washington State, has spent the last 25 years attempting to build a geoduck business. |
| "Geoduck is our newest species and it took us a long time - about a decade, just to get to a point where we weren't throwing money away," says Dewey. | "Geoduck is our newest species and it took us a long time - about a decade, just to get to a point where we weren't throwing money away," says Dewey. |
| "It's still not a cookbook today but it's profitable. And we're starting to sell more in the US too. But the Chinese demand drives the price - and that market is willing to pay a lot." | "It's still not a cookbook today but it's profitable. And we're starting to sell more in the US too. But the Chinese demand drives the price - and that market is willing to pay a lot." |
| The landed value of geoduck is $10 (£6.40) per 1lb but it sells for $150 (£96) per 1lb in Chinese restaurants. In London, one prestigious Chinese dining establishment quoted £200 ($312) for a whole 2lb (1kg) geoduck. | The landed value of geoduck is $10 (£6.40) per 1lb but it sells for $150 (£96) per 1lb in Chinese restaurants. In London, one prestigious Chinese dining establishment quoted £200 ($312) for a whole 2lb (1kg) geoduck. |
| Why do the Chinese love it so much? | Why do the Chinese love it so much? |
| "Part of it is the phallic appearance - it's a sexual-looking beast and there's a draw to that," says Dewey. | "Part of it is the phallic appearance - it's a sexual-looking beast and there's a draw to that," says Dewey. |
| "But it's also quite a status symbol to be served geoduck." | "But it's also quite a status symbol to be served geoduck." |
| In the US the clam has also achieved a certain cult status - especially in Washington state, where some have embraced the bizarre bivalve as a kind of talisman. Take for example "Speedy", the official mascot of the Evergreen State Geoducks women's soccer team. | In the US the clam has also achieved a certain cult status - especially in Washington state, where some have embraced the bizarre bivalve as a kind of talisman. Take for example "Speedy", the official mascot of the Evergreen State Geoducks women's soccer team. |
| Their battle song is: "Go, Geoducks go. Stretch your necks when the tide is low. Siphon high, squirt it out. Swivel all about; let it all hang out." | Their battle song is: "Go, Geoducks go. Stretch your necks when the tide is low. Siphon high, squirt it out. Swivel all about; let it all hang out." |
| For families on the coast going out digging for shellfish in the summer has been "part of our local heritage" says Dewey. | For families on the coast going out digging for shellfish in the summer has been "part of our local heritage" says Dewey. |
| "It's a family outing. You go out at low tide with a shovel and try to find a geoduck," The trademark spurt from its siphon is a giveaway, he says. | "It's a family outing. You go out at low tide with a shovel and try to find a geoduck," The trademark spurt from its siphon is a giveaway, he says. |
| "But even then it takes hours to dig him out - it's a major excavation. If you're lucky you get one and you take it home and make good fritters." | "But even then it takes hours to dig him out - it's a major excavation. If you're lucky you get one and you take it home and make good fritters." |
| There are signs that the geoduck's appeal could be spreading beyond the North-West, however. | There are signs that the geoduck's appeal could be spreading beyond the North-West, however. |
| "It is getting a little more popular, more mainstream," says Dewey. | "It is getting a little more popular, more mainstream," says Dewey. |
| He produces 700,000lb (318,000kg) of farmed geoduck every year, he says, and sells about half domestically, especially to the Asian markets that can be found in many US cities. | He produces 700,000lb (318,000kg) of farmed geoduck every year, he says, and sells about half domestically, especially to the Asian markets that can be found in many US cities. |
| The clam has been getting some publicity recently, which probably helps. | The clam has been getting some publicity recently, which probably helps. |
| Celebrity chefs have included the clam in their recipe books and on TV cookery programmes. "We did segments on shows like Bizarre Foods and Dirty Jobs," laughs Dewey. | Celebrity chefs have included the clam in their recipe books and on TV cookery programmes. "We did segments on shows like Bizarre Foods and Dirty Jobs," laughs Dewey. |
| And it is being seen more often in seafood restaurants too. | And it is being seen more often in seafood restaurants too. |
| "I used not to sell it - but now it sells itself," says chef Taichi Kitamura, owner of Tamura Sushi Kappo, in Seattle. | "I used not to sell it - but now it sells itself," says chef Taichi Kitamura, owner of Tamura Sushi Kappo, in Seattle. |
| "Even the tourists want it. They see it on the Food Network (TV) and because of its impressive, somewhat sexy look, they want to try it. We charge $10 a pair of sushi, or $20 for an order of sashimi. | "Even the tourists want it. They see it on the Food Network (TV) and because of its impressive, somewhat sexy look, they want to try it. We charge $10 a pair of sushi, or $20 for an order of sashimi. |
| "But the price needs to come down for it to become really popular. Supply needs to catch up with demand." | "But the price needs to come down for it to become really popular. Supply needs to catch up with demand." |
| Kitamura says the flavour of geoduck is among the "cleanest-tasting" of seafoods. | Kitamura says the flavour of geoduck is among the "cleanest-tasting" of seafoods. |
| "There's nothing fishy about it. The texture is crunchy and chewy - though there are tender parts if you cook it right," he says. | "There's nothing fishy about it. The texture is crunchy and chewy - though there are tender parts if you cook it right," he says. |
| Why China loves the 'elephant trunk clam' | Why China loves the 'elephant trunk clam' |
| The BBC's Fuchsia Dunlop, author and Chinese food expert: | The BBC's Fuchsia Dunlop, author and Chinese food expert: |
| It has that texture Chinese people adore - that slightly crisp rubberiness, but also tenderness if it's cooked properly. | It has that texture Chinese people adore - that slightly crisp rubberiness, but also tenderness if it's cooked properly. |
| Westerners have an aversion to slippery, springy, slimy, grisly foods, but to the Chinese they're attractive - because they have this very developed sense of texture. Take the sea cucumber - it looks like a yucky slug to Western eyes but in China it's a delicacy. | Westerners have an aversion to slippery, springy, slimy, grisly foods, but to the Chinese they're attractive - because they have this very developed sense of texture. Take the sea cucumber - it looks like a yucky slug to Western eyes but in China it's a delicacy. |
| Wild seafood is very prestigious in China. If you can afford to take people out for a special dinner you go to a restaurant with tanks of live shellfish. | Wild seafood is very prestigious in China. If you can afford to take people out for a special dinner you go to a restaurant with tanks of live shellfish. |
| In the West if we want to impress or schmooze someone we might order an expensive wine. But in China it's food that you have to spend money on. | In the West if we want to impress or schmooze someone we might order an expensive wine. But in China it's food that you have to spend money on. |
| Traditionally it would be bird's nest or shark's fin, but geoduck is also expensive - and it's impressive. It's huge. To eat a rare and exotic shellfish from the pure waters of Canada is highly desirable. | Traditionally it would be bird's nest or shark's fin, but geoduck is also expensive - and it's impressive. It's huge. To eat a rare and exotic shellfish from the pure waters of Canada is highly desirable. |
| Westerners often look down on the Chinese: "Oh they eat such weird things" - as if they are desperate. But actually it's a sign of a very discerning food culture - a love of the exotic. | Westerners often look down on the Chinese: "Oh they eat such weird things" - as if they are desperate. But actually it's a sign of a very discerning food culture - a love of the exotic. |
| Cooking the creature is a delicate process, agrees Dewey. The siphon feels "leathery" when it first comes out of the water, he says. | Cooking the creature is a delicate process, agrees Dewey. The siphon feels "leathery" when it first comes out of the water, he says. |
| "But when you prepare it, you dip it in boiling water and form a crisp layer on the outside. It's like a three-foot long condom when it comes off. | "But when you prepare it, you dip it in boiling water and form a crisp layer on the outside. It's like a three-foot long condom when it comes off. |
| "You're left with this smooth, clean, white piece of flesh. In the sushi bar they'll slice it up. But there are lots of recipes - like chowder, or ceviche [raw fish cured in citrus juice] - one of my favourites." | "You're left with this smooth, clean, white piece of flesh. In the sushi bar they'll slice it up. But there are lots of recipes - like chowder, or ceviche [raw fish cured in citrus juice] - one of my favourites." |
| If geoduck aquaculture really takes off in the bay, it could help transform the coastal economy, he says. At the moment it is hard to get a licence, but Dewey insists the business is sustainable. | If geoduck aquaculture really takes off in the bay, it could help transform the coastal economy, he says. At the moment it is hard to get a licence, but Dewey insists the business is sustainable. |
| "We're not mining the ocean - we are producing the babies in our hatchery," he says. | "We're not mining the ocean - we are producing the babies in our hatchery," he says. |
| Perhaps the talk of babies reminds him of something else. | Perhaps the talk of babies reminds him of something else. |
| "I'll tell you a funny story," he says. "You know my wife and I got married out on the tidelands. Our aisle was made of netting - and instead of confetti we had people scattering geoduck eggs." | "I'll tell you a funny story," he says. "You know my wife and I got married out on the tidelands. Our aisle was made of netting - and instead of confetti we had people scattering geoduck eggs." |
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