What is the difference between yellow clams and Manila clams? A guide to telling them apart easily
Many people like to eat seafood. When it comes to shellfish, many people cannot tell them apart and think they all look about the same. In fact, there are many kinds of shellfish, and there are differences among them. Below we explain the differences between yellow clams and Manila clams.
Difference 1: Different shape
The yellow clam, whose scientific name is Mactra veneriformis, has an axe-shaped form; the Manila clam, whose scientific name is Ruditapes philippinarum, has a slightly oval outline. Compared with each other, the yellow clam is more swollen than the Manila clam, the angles of its shell shape are more distinct, it is almost an isosceles triangle, and the hinge connecting the umbo is also taller and more prominent.
Difference 2: Different color
The yellow clam's shell is yellow, with dark yellow markings, and its flesh is yellow. The Manila clam's shell can be white, yellow, brown, light brown, or dark brown, sometimes with radiating lines, stripes, large spots, or dark brown zigzag patterns, and the inside of the shell is white, pink, light gray, or flesh red. Compared with each other, the Manila clam's shell has more colors than the yellow clam's, and the direction of its patterns is more varied.
Difference 3: Different place of origin
The yellow clam is mainly produced in the shallow sea, low-salinity, muddy-sand coastal environment of the eastern Yellow Sea around the mouth of the Yalu River, while the Manila clam is widely distributed in the sea areas of northern and southern China, living in coarse sand and small gravel beaches in the intertidal zone as well as muddy-sand bottoms in the subtidal zone.
Difference 4: Different ways of eating
In cooking, the yellow clam is suitable for many methods such as quick dressing, plain boiling, and light stir-frying, but the best way to eat it is charcoal grilling. The Manila clam can be eaten in many ways, including steaming, boiling, quick stir-frying, and making soup; the most common way to eat it is quick stir-frying.
Difference 5: Different edible parts
The most delicious part of the yellow clam is not its meat but the juices inside its body, which the ancients regarded as the essence of the food; moreover, because the space inside its shell is broad, its meat is tender and smooth, making it more satisfying to eat. The Manila clam's meat is firmer and chewier.
Difference 6: Different effects
The yellow clam contains trace amounts of cobalt, which has a relatively good effect on maintaining the human body's blood-forming function and restoring liver function. The Manila clam has the effects of nourishing yin and brightening the eyes, softening hardness, and resolving phlegm; some shellfish also have the effect of benefiting essence and moistening the organs. Everyone can eat them, and they are especially suitable for people with high cholesterol and high blood lipids as well as people suffering from diseases such as enlarged thyroid, bronchitis, and stomach problems.