totally off topic and genuinely interested in learning this ('cause i have a niece-in-law allergic to shellfish and always struggle w/appetizers when she's coming for a family gathering as we typically do something shellfishy)
are mussels NOT a shellfish?
thanks
There are subgroups within "
shellfish." You can be allergic to one subgroup and not the other. Or you can be allergic to all of them.
Most people are allergic to things that fall into the subgroup of
crustaceans. (shrimp, lobster, crab) That's the group I am in. It seems to be the most commonly used in restaurants. Even if it's not the main part of the dish, you'll find it in sauces, etc. So I always have to tell the chef, so that my meal is cooked in different pans and oils from crustaceans.
The other subgroups (I believe) are
mollusks (mussels, oysters, scallops, clams, etc.),
gastropods (snails are one example), and
cephalopods (squid, octopus). I can...and do.....eat all of those with reckless abandon.
The term "shellfish allergy" is what society, even medical society, commonly uses. If I used "crustacean allergy," I'd get a blank look about half the time and I would never find it on a medical form. It's sort of like when an Aussie friend of mine visited the US and ordered a dish. I had told him months before to use our American term for a certain food he was allergic to, but he forgot it. He DID ask the waiter if any _____ was in the dish and the waiter said, "No," because the waiter had never heard of the word my friend used. Needless to say, my friend was miserable. Well, if I said I had a crustacean allergy, I'm afraid some waiters might let some lobster sauce slip by.
But "shellfish allergy" gets their attention and then I go into details.
That's tonight's Shellfish Allergy 101.
