What is the difference between cuttlefish and squid, and octopus, and which one tastes better?

Stir-fried cuttlefish fry, teppanyaki squid, takoyaki…… you must have tried these dishes at some point, right? Just thinking about them makes my mouth water! However, after eating seafood for so many years, can you actually tell them apart? Are cuttlefish and squid, cuttlefish, octopus the same? What are the differences in function? Do you know all of this? If you are still not very familiar with it, then take a look at this article.

First, we need to know: octopus = eight-clawed fish, cuttlefish = inkfish, squid = spear squid. So, what we are going to compare next is only cuttlefish, squid and octopus.

Let us start with classification and see at which level they begin to split apart. Octopus, squid and cuttlefish are jokingly called the “three soft brothers.” They are all mollusks living in the ocean, all belonging to the phylum Mollusca, class Cephalopoda. In other words, if we divide them starting at the class level, octopus, cuttlefish and squid are still one family, all belonging to the subclass Coleoidea (that is, the two-gill subclass). Then differentiation begins at the order level: octopus belongs to the order Octopoda, suborder Incirrata, while cuttlefish and squid belong to the order Decapoda, among which cuttlefish alone belongs to the order Sepiida. At the family level, the three organisms are completely separated: octopus belongs to the family Octopodidae, cuttlefish belongs to the family Sepiidae, and squid belongs to the family Loliginidae.

In what specific ways are their differences reflected?

1. Different body structures

Octopus has eight arms, while squid and cuttlefish both have ten arms.

The octopus body is soft, squid grows cartilage, and cuttlefish has a hard bone.

The octopus body is short, oval-shaped, sac-like, and without fins; the boundary between head and body is not obvious. The head and mantle of the octopus are about 7-9.5 cm, and the head has large compound eyes and 8 retractable arms.

2. Different appearance and shape

When we see an octopus, we can think of takoyaki——its body is sac-like and looks like a ball;

The squid body is long and narrow, as if it were a tube, and its cross-section is ring-shaped;

The cuttlefish body is relatively flat and very broad.

3. Different living habits

Octopuses generally crawl along the seabed using the suckers on their arms, and their movements are very slow; most octopuses crawl along the seabed with their suckers, but when startled they eject water from the siphon, and the jet force is strong, allowing them to move quickly in the opposite direction.

Squid and cuttlefish, however, swim rapidly in the sea.

The octopus is a nocturnal animal, very sensitive to light, and likes to stay in dark environments. Fishermen often throw specially made clay pots into the sea, then calculate the time well and invite the octopus into the trap - waiting for the octopus to drill into the pot and catch itself in the net.

Squid and cuttlefish, however, like bright light, so fishermen use this habit to hang fish-gathering lights on fishing boats, waiting for them to swarm in and then catch them all in one net.

4. Different ways of eating

Octopus can be eaten raw or cooked, and eating it raw is especially good; people with a history of urticaria or allergies and cancer patients should avoid eating octopus.

Squid and cuttlefish must be eaten after being cooked thoroughly, because their bodies contain a polypeptide component. If eaten without being fully cooked, it often causes diners to have gastrointestinal motility disorders and abdominal discomfort. In addition, aquatic products such as squid are cold in nature, so people with weak spleen and stomach should also eat less of them.

Squid is a seafood product, a high-protein, low-fat food, containing two components, purines and nucleosides; beer contains vitamin B1, which is a catalyst for the decomposition and metabolism of purines and nucleosides. Eating seafood while drinking beer causes purines, nucleosides and vitamin B1 to mix together and undergo a chemical reaction, which can lead to an increase in uric acid levels in the human blood and disrupt the original balance; if uric acid cannot be excreted from the body in time, it precipitates in the form of sodium salts, which can easily form stones or trigger gout. In severe cases, the whole body becomes covered in red lumps, with unbearable pain and itching, making it impossible to walk.

As for which of cuttlefish, squid and octopus tastes better, that is a matter of personal preference. Because their types are different, their cooking methods are also different. So how exactly should they be prepared to bring out their respective flavors to the fullest?

Boiling, braising in soy sauce, plain stir-frying…… the textures differ, and each shows its own strengths

Octopus is more often used alive, and the cooking methods are relatively simple: boil it plain, braise it in soy sauce, or stir-fry it with pickled potherb mustard. Cuttlefish is the opposite; what is sold in the market is basically all quick-frozen, so it is mostly used for braising in soy sauce, or more often roasted with pickled potherb mustard juice. Squid, however, has more moisture and tender meat; dried squid tastes very good and is very fragrant, and it can also be made into teppanyaki squid, which is also quite popular in Dalian. Cuttlefish is not only crisp and refreshing in taste, with a high protein content and high nutritional value, but it is also rich in medicinal value. Eating dried cuttlefish and mung bean simmered soup has health benefits such as improving eyesight and reducing internal heat; the “cuttlefish plate” is scientifically called “cuttlebone,” and it is also a commonly used medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine. Squid is rich in calcium, phosphorus and iron, which helps bone development and blood production and can effectively treat anemia; it also contains a large amount of taurine, which can inhibit cholesterol levels in the blood, relieve fatigue, restore vision, and improve liver function; the polypeptides and selenium it contains have antiviral and anti-radiation effects.