Hi Nicky
There is a reference to dogwhelks (Nucella) as a comestible in Lovell's
Edible British Molluscs. I cut and paste a piece of text from a report
I am just about to submit re a Romano British coastal site on the North
Cornish coast....
QUOTE
Dog whelks are not collected for food, to the best of my belief, in the
present day although there are references to them as food, (Lovell,
1884) where there are records of French consumption of dog whelks. The
author himself records seeing Nucella lapillus offered for sale at
Hastings in 1868, ready boiled for eating at 1d per pint. They live
amongst the mussels beds, upon which they prey, and are present in
considerably fewer numbers than the mussels and limpets. Whether they
were gathered for food or for bait, or for another purpose is not
clear......
UNQUOTE
Regarding the use of the shells for dye you would not expect to get
crushed shells. The dyestuff is obtained from the hypobranchial gland
of the snail. This produces the toxin which the animal uses to
liquidise its prey! Rather, I think the shells with the apical region
missing, which we see in marine shell deposits at archaeological sites,
are more likely to be the signal that attempts were being made to remove
the animal from the shell without damaging the valuable dye gland.
Equally if the animals were being harvested for food, or bait, then I
would expect the object to be removal of the gland without breaking it.
I am keen to hear other views!
Jan
In message <[log in to unmask]>, Nicky Milner
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>I've just gone through a Meso assemblage from a site we're digging up
>in Northumberland. Dogwhelks make up 71% of the current assemblage.
>The other species on the whole are small and or colourful (such as
>flat periwinkles, cowries, topshell) but there are a few edible and
>rough periwinkles and a few limpets. As one of the cowries appears to
>be perforated as well I think that most of the shells are being
>collected for aesthetics rather than food but I'm just wondering
>whether anyone has any experience of, or knows any references
>regarding eating the dogwhelk, Nucella lapillus? This seems to be a
>problem frequently encountered when dealing with shell assemblages
>and there are many other sites where this species can be found in
>substantial numbers. I know it can be used for dye but I think you
>would expect to find the shell crushed if this was the case. The only
>things I have read or heard about the dogwhelk regarding consumption
>is that they are completely unpalatable and even fish won't take them
>as bait.
>Jim, perhaps you'd have another look in Mrs Beeton for me?!
>
>Nicky
>Dr Nicky Milner
>Sir James Knott Research Fellow
>Dept. of Archaeology
>University of Newcastle
>Newcastle-upon-Tyne
>NE1 7RU
>0191 222 5754 (office)
--
Janice Light
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GU7 2PN, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1483 417782
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email: [log in to unmask]
Carbonate Group, Dept of Geology
Royal Holloway University of London
Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
email: [log in to unmask]
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