What is the difference between clams and oysters? A quick guide to telling the two apart

Oysters and clams are both shellfish foods, and because their shapes are fairly similar, many people cannot tell oysters and clams apart. In fact, if you look carefully, oysters and clams are still different. So what is the difference between clams and oysters?

Clams include many varieties, such as the short-necked clam, the hard clam and the trough shell.

Oysters and clams are two different aquatic products. From their appearance, the clam shell is oval, light brown, with a purple edge, yellowish-brown near the ventral side, and the ventral edge often has a very narrow black band. The oyster, by contrast, has two shells of different shapes, a rough surface and a dark gray color; the upper shell bulges in the middle; it is fairly large and rather flat, with a relatively smooth edge; the inner surfaces of both shells are white and smooth, but in sunlight they show colored patterns, and the two shells are joined at the narrower end by an elastic ligament.

Oysters (commonly called haili zi in Dalian, and called sheng hao by people in the south) are something that should exist only in the sea, growing on reefs, with a very rough exterior, and they must be pried open to take out the meat inside.

Clams are found in both freshwater and seawater. In the sea, people from Dalian generally call them xian zi, and people from Shandong seem to call them ga la; clam is probably the more formal name, and they are all the same thing, usually living in the sand on the seabed, with a piece of meat between the two shells, and the two shells can open and close; generally, when cooked, they all open, and because there are many sizes, colors and patterns, they also have many names.

Clams have rich nutritional value and are a very good choice for health preservation, with plenty of protein and calcium, and can improve physical constitution; they are a high-protein, low-fat food, while oysters can supplement zinc and can prevent male diseases, so everyone can match them to their own needs.