Countries that eat the most octopus are Korea, Japan and Mediterranean countries where they are considered a delicacy.
The common octopus dominates Japan's market due to the widespread popularity of “takoyaki,” fried balls of batter containing a piece of octopus. In Japan, this is a common street food – about as common as a hot dog cart in New York City. In Osaka, six balls of takoyaki can be had for JPY 400 (USD 3.72, EUR 3.43).
A favorite dish for generations of Koreans, octopus heads have long been associated with good nutrition, not to mention their reputed qualities as an aphrodisiac.
Hanafi Islamic scholars will tell you that octopus is Haram, similar to squid. Maliki, Hanbali, and Shafi'i scholars classify octopus as Halal based on the Qur'an stating that all sea creatures that aren't harmful are permissible to eat.
Octopus is rich in vitamins and minerals. It's also low in fat, making it a great source of complete protein for people trying to manage their weight. This can depend on how it's prepared, however. Frying it or cooking octopus in butter or oil can add extra fat and calorie content to your meal.
The countries that eat the most octopus are Korea, Japan, and Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy. Americans aren't the only ones with a taste for tentacles; Chinese and Australian appetites are growing as well.
Octopus is commonly confused with calamari, though both are surprisingly different in taste (when served raw) and cooking methods. Many people think calamari dishes are made from octopus, when in fact calamari is actually made from a type of squid.
According to the fatwa, prawn is an arthropod (to which insects also belong) and it does not fall under the category of fish. The chief mufti labelled prawn under the category 'makruh tahrim' (strictly abominable) and advised Muslims against eating it.
Consumption of pork and products made from pork is strictly forbidden in Islam.
Interestingly, while all four major schools of Islamic thought consider fish Halal, one school, the Hanafi school of thought, considers non-fish creatures to be impermissible. This would include squid, octopus, mussels, and other similar sea creatures.
Last year North Korea's government passed an "anti-reactionary thought" law that imposed drastic punishment for people found to have distributed or consumed foreign media, meaning spreading or watching Squid Game risks incurring a death penalty.
Live octopus is a delicacy in some parts of the world, including South Korea and Japan.
Tenderising the octopus:
The best thing you can do is to take a rounded wooden stick (or a meat pounder) and to beat it hard, for about 10 minutes, on its the head (the area around the eyes) and on the tentacles all their way long. This operation will stretch the fibres and make the meat tender.
Available wild-caught, these marine dwelling cephalopods are found right around the Australian coast, from shallow tidal pools to depths of over 3,000m, though generally caught closer inshore among seagrass and on muddy, sandy or reefy bottoms at less than 200m on the continental shelf.
Moray eels, fish, seals, sperm whales, sea otters, and many birds prey on octopuses.
Eating Qualities
Yanagidako is a cleaned and fully cooked octopus and is entirely edible. The tentacles can be sliced thin and are quite tender and tasty. The skin has a pleasing red color while the meat is a creamy white. Sliced or diced yanagidako can be easily added to salads, ceviche, soups, and sushi preparations.
The only dietary restrictions specified for Christians in the New Testament are to "abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals" (Acts 15:29), teachings that the early Church Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen, preached for believers to follow.
Traditionally, dogs are considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam as they are thought of as dirty. But while conservatives advocate complete avoidance, moderates simply say Muslims should not touch the animal's mucous membranes — such as the nose or mouth — which are considered especially impure.
As such, the fatwa continues, kangaroo is classified in the same category with other “grass eating, clean animals like deer, gazelle and antelope.” Grasshopper is also categorized as “halal” because “there is a special provision in the Sunnah,” it adds, referring to the way of life prescribed as normative for Muslims ...
Despite being stated in the scripture that Muslims can consume any sea animal, there are different school of thoughts on this. Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbalis agreed that any creature categorized under shellfish be it mussel fish, oysters, lobsters and so many more are halal.
Crustaceans and other seafood
Almost all types of non-piscine seafood, such as shellfish, lobster, shrimp or crayfish, are forbidden by Judaism because such animals live in water but do not have both fins and scales.
Jainism practices non-violence and has strict rules for the protection of all life. For this reason, they do not eat eggs, fish, meat or poultry.
Tender, enjoyably chewy, not to mention a burst of flavor with every bite! I know that a lot of people are intimidated by octopus. If you're one of them, I urge you to try your hand at it with baby octopus, jjukkumi. Baby octopus is naturally tender and easy to handle.
The Pulpo Frito, also known as deep-fried octopus, had its origins in the coasts of Andalusia. It was developed by the wives of sailors many centuries ago, and since then this dish is one of the most popular Andalusian foods.
Octopus is higher in Vitamin B12, yet Squid as food is higher in Vitamin B2, Selenium, Iron, Copper, Phosphorus, Vitamin A RAE, and Zinc. Octopus covers your daily Vitamin B12 needs 608% more than Squid as food. The amount of Sodium in Octopus is lower.