what is the difference between clams and vongole

A guide to varieties you’re most likely to find in the US, from littlenecks and cherrystones to steamers, razor clams, and more.

From the pinhead-size specimens used in Vietnamese cooking to the giant guy that gave up its ghost to serve as decorations for Ivanka Trump’s Thanksgiving table, there are thousands of different species of clams that range in size, shape, and, of course, flavor. But, even as the food world rapidly globalizes, clams remain steadfastly regional. Here in the United States, on the West Coast, Manila clams reign supreme, while geoduck and razor clams hold court. On the East Coast, the quahog is queen, shucked and swimming in its own brine on ice at raw bars, stewed in chowders, baked in the shell, steamed in a wine-rich broth, or made into a sauce that gets tossed with linguine. Of course, in certain quarters of the Northeast (and some minds), it’s soft-shell clams that can’t be beat, whether served steamed with drawn butter on the side or fried, plump belly and all.

When plucked from their shells, clams might not win any beauty contests, but their briny bite and bouncy chew create a covetable combination that works in a wide variety of dishes in cuisines around the world. On top of that, not one single type of clam widely available in the US lands in the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch’s red “avoid” category of sustainability, which means that you can enjoy your pasta alla vongole or clams casino with a clear conscience. As filter feeders, clams even help clean up their environment, clearing out any toxins from the water as they bubble about in tidal flats and dig deep into beaches with their powerful muscles.

Those muscles—and what they do—gave the mollusk its name. According to Jay Jacob’s exhaustive book on the origin of food words, The Eaten Word, the word “clam” comes from an old form of “clamp,” which, when used in its full form—the name “clamshell” (“clampshell”)—describes how tightly the mollusk shuts. That, unfortunately, is about as close as we can get to defining what a clam is or isnt. The Oxford Companion to Food points out that, while the name should refer only to bivalves that can close their shells completely, this definition actually eliminates a few accepted clam types (razors, for example) and includes oysters and mussels. But we’re here to talk more about consuming clams than their confusing nomenclature.

We know from the piles of ancient shell remains lining coasts around the world that clams have been eaten for centuries, if not millenia. And for good reason: They are abundant, tasty, and healthful (full of iron and vitamin B). This is true even of the types of clams that aren’t commonly eaten, whether because they are endangered, like the giant clam; not worth the work, as with the horse clam’s high ratio of tough skin to edible meat; or only circumstantially inedible, because of seasonal or geographic diseases, like butter clams, which hold toxins for many years.

Most of the time, though, clams in the US are edible, as the Europeans landing on New World shores learned quickly from indigenous peoples, who had long been eating a version of what is now known as clam chowder. And Europeans also discovered that the shells were valued by Native Americans in the Northeast: polished and shaped quahog clamshells denoted specific achievements, status, and wealth, and as they were used to barter with European colonists, they came to be interpreted as a form of currency, which in turn led to the eventual use of the term “clams” to mean US dollars.

The abundance of clams in this country means that most clams don’t cost too many clams, as it were, making them a quintessentially American food that is as affordable as it is accessible. But we here in the US do miss out on a few international species. The FDA bans importation of blood clams from Southeast Asia, as their low-oxygen environments can make them carriers of diseases like hepatitis and typhoid. (They can occasionally be found in New England, though, and can be imported from Mexico.) Shijimi, a brackishwater Japanese clam thought to be a hangover cure and often used in miso soup, is classified as an invasive species in the US and is rarely found other than in packaged miso soups or frozen.

Vongole is the Italian word for clams, in Australia most commonly known as pipis or. Cooked in the same fashion as mussels, they are steamed forcing the shell to open usually with white wine.

Cherrystone

Region: East Coast.Size: Larger than littleneck, about two and a half inches wide.Best Use: Grilled, stuffed and broiled, or served raw on the half-shell.

Some consider topneck clams to be a size between littleneck and cherrystone, but the coveted cherrystone is more popular. At about two and a half inches wide, these grill up nicely and work for pasta sauces, while still being palatable served raw on the half-shell (the bigger clams get, the more people tend to shy away from eating them raw), but they are also the perfect size for stuffing and broiling.

About two and a half inches wide, cherrystone clams are the perfect size for stuffing and broiling.

Often sold next to the “vongole veraci” are lupini — smaller, grey clams with tasty meat, these are more likely to be wild than farmed and because they are found in the open sea, they tend to be quite salty! You will not need to use salt for this recipe anyway but you may even want to pay attention to how much salt you add to the pasta cooking water. The photograph of the final pasta dish is made with lupini and you can see them in the blue net below.

And it just happens to also be a very quick, very easy, healthy and sustainable dish to make (wins all around), and although you should take care to rinse and pick through the clams, as well as purge them if necessary (all of which can be done ahead of time), the actual cooking time is a cinch, making this also a good one for entertaining as you don’t have to slave over a stove all evening. We recently made this — and it was the star of the show — for a Sunday Suppers dinner in the hills of Florence at the breathtaking Settignano Tuscany Homes (some photos at the end of this post).

In a wide skillet over medium heat, place 2 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic. Let sizzle for 1 minute until pale golden, then add the clams. Toss briefly to coat the clams, then add the white wine. Turn up heat to high then cover and cook, giving a good shake here and there, for 1 minute and a half longer, or until all the clams have opened. Remove from heat and set aside. Note that you won’t need any extra salt here, but you can add ground pepper or chilli to taste.

When the water is boiling, add salt (1 teaspoon for every litre of water is ideal), then the spaghetti and cook until al dente (see the recommended time on the package). Drain, reserving about 60 ml of the cooking water if needed. You’ll need a recipient large enough to toss everything together – use the pot that the pasta was cooked in if the skillet is too small to hold everything. Toss the spaghetti with the remaining olive oil, parsley, the clams and all their juice. If the pasta needs any extra liquid to keep it all juicy (and this should be juicy!), add the reserved cooking water and perhaps another glug of oil and toss it all together vigorously to create a creamy emulsion. Serve immediately with empty bowls on the table for the discarded shells.

One of the most iconic Italian pasta dishes ever, spaghetti con le vongole is a firm favourite of our whole family — which is saying something as my eldest daughter is a dreadfully picky eater! Anyone who has to cook for a picky eater will appreciate that feeling of immense satisfaction (and perhaps relief) at being able to cook just one thing that everyone can enjoy together — well, for us, it’s this.

Traditional Spaghetti alle Vongole from Venice: The Secret of the PERFECT Pasta | A Typical Dish

FAQ

Are clams the same as vongole?

What is vongole made of?

What kind of clams are in Italy?

What is a vongole clam?

Vongole is just the Italian name for clams. In Australia clams are most commonly known as pipis. The main ingredient for a classic pasta vongole is a clam by the name of ‘vongola verace’, also known as the cross-cut carpet shell clam. You can find this ridged shell clam both farmed and wild in Italy.

Can you make pasta alle vongole with other clams?

Of course, many people make pasta alle vongole with other types of clams. The Manila clam, which many Italians call the fake ‘verace’, is widely farmed in the Adriatic sea and Sardinia. Consequently these are used by many cooks to make pasta alle vongole. Manila clams look very similar to vongole veraci.

What is linguine and clams (spaghetti alle vongole)?

Home » Course or Meal » Linguine and Clams (Spaghetti alle Vongole) Linguine and clams is a super quick and easy seafood dish you can make anytime you have good quality, fresh clams on hand. The original dish from Italy, spaghetti alle vongole, uses an alternative long pasta, so use whichever one you prefer.

What clams do you use for Linguine alle vongole?

Clams (Vongole) – The best clams for making Linguine alle Vongole are Vongole Veraci which are the larger ones you can see above. Vongole Veraci are really delicious but can be expensive so we like to use a mix of Veraci and other clams (we used Lupini which are smaller and very delicious).