Littorina littorea

The winkle is a marine Mollusque with which its appearance is worth the nickname descargot sea . It belongs to the Littorine S. It also bears other names like the bourgot, the littorine or the vignot, in English it names periwinckle .

The winkle has the soft and a shell in spiral, conical and pointed body. It crawls on its foot by grazing ends of Algue S, in particular of green algas like the Ulve, the lettuce of sea. The winkle is a marine, gastropodous, rough mollusc with the touch whose color is variable. The size depends on their source.

Use

The winkles are consumed cooked, often with aperitif. They are withdrawn from their shell using a pin. To cook in a salt water and abundantly peppered. The winkle, with the Buccina, is undoubtedly the most important source of magnesium among current food (400mg/100g).

Other species

The word of winkle is a generic term which indicates several other S of Coquillage S Gastéropode S. It corresponds thus to the family of the littorines, herbivorous brouteurs with a spiral and convex shell. The winkles drillers ( Nucella lapilus , Ocenebra erinacea , Ocinebrellus inornatus ) are snails of sea, predatory shells (Huître S, mould S, Palourde S…) : they bore the shell thanks to an acid juice.

The French winkle

The common winkle is small, very black when it is wet, and comprises a Opercule stuck well to the animal.

The Portuguese winkle

It is twice larger than the French winkle, often gray slate and not black and the cover is not completely stuck (in skew).

At the Iles-de-la-Madeleine (Quebec)

Do not be surprised if one speaks about winkles to indicate the Buccin S… and of borgaux or borlicocos for the winkles. They are 5 times smaller than the buccinas. It in sold under the name of Caricole S with Brussels.

External references

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