Squid and octopus may be from the same family, but they are not the same creatures. An octopus is chtapodi, and squid is calamari. Both are eaten throughout the Mediterranean region, as well as the whole world. An octopus has an mantle, a head and eight arms, with one or two rows of suckers on each.
A squid has a mantle and a head, eight arms and two tentacles - each with hooks or sucker rings.
Squid are a large, diverse group of soft-bodied cephalopods, and are a type of carnivorous mollusk. Squid have a large mantle/head, a large brain, eight arms with suckers, two longer feeding tentacles, a beak, a large head, two large eyes, and two hearts.
Their large eyes are very similar in structure to human eyes. They breathe using gills. Squid belong to the same class as the nautilus, cuttlefish and the above mentioned octopus. They are all invertebrates, having no spine. They do have an interior cartilaginous skeleton.
They move by squirting water from their mantle, through a siphon, using a type of jet propulsion. When in danger, squid squirt a cloud of dark ink to confuse their attacker and allowing escape. Squid can also change the color of their skin to mimic their environment, camouflaging them from predators. Squid reproduce by releasing eggs into the water. Some squid eggs are free-floating, others are attached to seaweed or to the ocean floor.
Squid vary greatly in size. The common squid, which lives in the northern Atlantic Ocean, grows from 12 to 18 inches long. The largest, the giant squid, can be sixty feet long.
Squid eat fish, crustaceans, and other squid. These fast-moving predators catch smaller creatures with their two feeding tentacles, then hold the prey with the eight arms and bite it into small pieces using a parrot-like beak. Since their esophagus runs through the brain, the food must be in small pieces before swallowing: Many other animals hunt for squid, including many sharks and other fish, some whales, squid, and humans.
And speaking of human predators, squid is popular as food in cuisines as diverse and separated as Korean and Greek. http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html Where species of squid are found abundantly, the body is often stuffed whole, cut into flat pieces or sliced into rings. The tentacles and ink are also edible.
In the Mediterranean region, squid rings and tentacles are often coated in batter and fried in oil. When frying, squid is kept tender by cooking for as short a time as possible. Another recipe features simmered slowly, often with tomatoes. When simmering, the flesh is most tender when the cooking time is prolonged and temperatures are lowered.
Squid ink is eaten in a variety of dishes such as paella, risotto, soup and pastas. Bouillabaisse and other seafood stews often contain squid. In Southeast Asia, squid is a common ingredient in a variety of dishes such as stir-fries, rice and noodle dishes. It is often heavily spiced.

More about Greek Cycladic islands: http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html
Free information about accommodation in Crete hotels, rooms Crete studios, apartments Crete maps: http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html
Enjoy your stay in Ionian islands Greece, Corfu, Zante, Kefalonia, Ithaca, Lefkada: http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html
Cruising and sailing in Greek islands: http://www.yachtinghomepage.com

Article Source: http://www.articleset.com