Conch

For the Indian ritual conch, seeShankha.For other uses, seeConch (disambiguation).

Apertural view of an adult queen conchLobatus gigaswith the foot, eyes and snout visible

A shell of a dead Florida crown conchMelongena coronainhabited by ahermit crab

Conch(US:/kɒŋk/konk,UK:/kɒntʃ/kontch) is acommon nameof a number of different medium-to-large-sizedsea snails.Conch shells typically have a highspireand a noticeablesiphonal canal(in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ends).

InNorth America,a conch is often identified as aqueen conch,indigenous to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Queen conches are valued forseafoodand are also used as fish bait.In the United States, a rule has been proposed to list the queen conch's conservation status as threatened.

The group of conches that are sometimes referred to as "true conches" aremarinegastropodmolluscsin thefamilyStrombidae,specifically in the genusStrombusand other closely related genera. For example,Lobatus gigas,the queen conch, andLaevistrombus canarium,the dog conch, are true conches.

Many other species are also often called "conch", but are not at all closely related to the family Strombidae, includingMelongenaspecies (familyMelongenidae) and the horse conchTriplofusus papillosus(familyFasciolariidae). Species commonly referred to as conches also include the sacred chank orshankhashell (Turbinella pyrum) and otherTurbinellaspecies in the familyTurbinellidae.The Triton's trumpet (familyCharoniidae) may also be fashioned into a horn and referred to as a conch.

Etymology

The English word "conch" is attested inMiddle English,coming fromLatinconcha(shellfish,mussel),which in turn comes from Greekkonchē(same meaning)ultimately fromProto-Indo-European root*konkho-,cognate with Sanskrit wordśaṅkha.

General description

A conch is a sea snail in the phylum Mollusca. A conch shell has superior strengthand is used as a musical instrument or decoration. It consists of about 95% calcium carbonate and 5% organic matter. The conch meat is edible.

Culinary use

A group of large eastern conches orwhelksof the speciesBusycotypus canaliculatusfor sale at a California seafood market

The meat of conches is eaten raw insaladsor cooked in burgers,chowders,fritters,andgumbos.All parts of the conch meat are edible.

Bahamian conch salad

Conch is indigenous to the Bahamas and is typically served infritter,salad, and soup forms. It is also eaten in theWest Indies(inThe Bahamas,Turks and Caicos,andJamaicain particular); locals in Jamaica eat conch in stews, curries and other dishes. Restaurants all over the islands serve this particular seafood. In theDominican Republic,Grenada,andHaiti,conch is commonly eaten in curries or in a spicy soup. It is locally referred to aslambi.InPuerto Rico,conch is served as aceviche,often calledensalada de carrucho(conch salad), consisting of raw conch marinated in lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, green peppers, and onions. It is also used to fillempanadas.

InPanama,conch is known ascambombiaand is often served asceviche de cambombia,consisting of raw conch marinated in lime juice, chopped onions, finely choppedhabaneros,and often vinegar.

Conch is very popular inItalyand amongItalian Americans.Calledsconcigli,it is eaten in a variety of ways, but most often in salads or cooked in a sauce for pasta. It is often included as one of the dishes prepared for theFeast of the Seven Fishes.

In East Asian cuisines, conch is often cut into thin slices and thensteamedorstir-fried.

Eighty per cent of the queen conch meat in international trade is imported into the United States. TheFlorida Keyswere a major source of queen conches until the 1970s, but the conches are now scarce and all harvesting of them in Florida waters is prohibitedand individuals who have harvested them have been punished by law enforcement.

Festival

Inthe Turks and Caicos Islands,the Conch Festival is held in November each year at the Three Queens Bar/Restaurant in Blue Hills. Local restaurateurs compete for the best and most original conch dishes, which are then judged by international chefs. Other competitions, events, and music performances occur.

Musical instruments

Main article:Conch (instrument)

Conch shells can be used aswind instruments.They are prepared by cutting a hole in thespireof the shell near theapexand then blowing into the shell as if it were a trumpet, as ablowing horn.Sometimes a mouthpiece is used, but some shell trumpets are blown without one. Pitch is adjusted by moving one's hand in and out of the aperture; the deeper the hand, the lower the note.

Various species of large marinegastropod shellscan be turned into blowing shells, but some of the best-known species used are the sacred chank orshankhaTurbinella pyrum,the Triton's trumpetCharonia tritonis,and the queen conchStrombus gigas.

One of the most famous musical instruments was found in theMarsoulas cavein thePyrenees Mountains,inFrance,in 1932. CT scans showed how ancient humans adapted the Concho to make it a musical instrument, such as creating a mouthpiece that was held together by an organic matter likeclayorwax.Researchers from theSorbonne,together with a professional horn player, were able to use it again as a musical instrument and play it.

Examples of this practice in the Americas can be seen in the form of historical artifacts at theMuseo LarcoinLima,Peru,andMuseo Nacional de AntropologíainMexico City,Mexico.

Pearls

A conch pearl displaying flame patterning.

Many kinds of molluscs can producepearls.Pearls from the queen conch,S. gigas,are rare and have been collectors' items since Victorian times.Conch pearls occur in a range of hues, including white, brown, and orange, with many intermediate shades, but pink is the colour most associated with the conch pearl, such that these pearls are sometimes referred to simply as "pink pearls".In some gemological texts, non-nacreous gastropod pearls used to be referred to as "calcareous concretions" because they were porcellaneous (shiny and ceramic-like in appearance), rather than nacreous (with a pearly luster). TheGemological Institute of AmericaandWorld Jewellery Confederationnow use the simple term "pearl" —or, where appropriate, the more-descriptive term "non-nacreous pearl" —for such items,and, under Federal Trade Commission rules, various mollusk pearls may be referred to as "pearls" without qualification.

Although not nacreous, the surfaces of fine conch pearls have a unique appearance. The microstructure of conch pearls comprises partly aligned bundles of microcrystalline fibers that create a shimmering, slightlyiridescenteffect known as flame structure. The effect is a form ofchatoyancy,caused by the interaction of light rays with the microcrystals in the pearl's surface, and it somewhat resemblesmoirésilk.

Other uses

A drawing of the shell ofStrombus alatus,the Florida fighting conch

• Conch shells are used as biologically grown calcium carbonate fertilizer.
• Conch shells are sometimes used as decoration, as decorative planters, and incameomaking.
• In the Aztec culture, the conch played an important role in rituals, war, art, music, mythology, festivals, and even the calendar.
• InIndia,someartisansmake souvenirs, deity idols and other crafts by carving natural conch shells by hands.
• Conch shells have been used asshell moneyin several cultures.
• Some American Aboriginals used cylindrical conch columella beads as part of breastplates and other personal adornment.
• In India, theBengalibride-to-be is adorned with conch shell and coral bangles calledshakha paula.It is a traditional wedding ritual for every Bengali bride.
• InIndiaandBangladesh,the conch is blown every day in the evening inBengalihouses as a daily ritual.
• In someAfro-Caribbeanand African-American cemeteries, conch shells are placed on graves.
• In some Caribbean countries such as Jamaica and the Bahamas, cleaned queen conch shells, or polished fragments, are sold, mainly totourists,assouvenirsor injewellery.Responding to a 2003 recommendation fromCITES,some countries in the Caribbean have banned the export of queen conch shells. CITES has also asked all countries to ban import of these shells from countries that are not complying with CITES recommendations for managing the fishery. Queen conch fisheries have been closed in several countries.Conch shells or fragments taken home by tourists from noncomplying countries may be confiscated on return to the tourist's home country while clearingcustoms.In theUK,conch shells are the 9th-most seized import.
• Conch shells have been used as a building material since ancient times, and new research is being conducted, to replicate their material for practical uses such as bone replacement, and also in architecture, to construct stronger structures.
• In Grenada, fishermen use the conch shell as a trombone to announce to the community that fish is available for sale. Conchs are used at carnival times in the Jouvert Jump where Diab Diab (Jab Jab) blow conch shells as part of the festivities. Especially inGuadeloupe,hearing conch shells being blown near ports at dawn and during Carnival times, too, is not uncommon. Many bands and trumpeters like Steve Turre are using the conch shell as an important instrument in their unique performances.
• In the Caribbean, broken or up-turned conch shells are embedded into the tops of outdoor walls in an effort to maintain home security.
• InTamil Nadu,India, the conch horn is blown during funerals as an acoustic indication of the funeral and to ward off evil spirits.
• In Key West, Florida, US, a native-born resident is affectionately called a "conch".
• In Japan, a conch ishoragai(orjinkai). It was used as a trumpet in special ceremonies such as a royal cremation during the Edo period.
• Conch shells, (puinHawaiian) have been historically used as a method of communication, a tradition that is still observed in parts of modern life in Hawai'i.

Religion

Ancient Peru

TheMochepeople of ancientPeruworshipped the sea and often depicted conch shells in their art.

Aztec

Quetzalcoatl,the Mexican god of wind and learning, wears around his neck the "wind breastplate"ehecailacocozcatl,"the spirally voluted wind jewel" made of a conch shell. Blowing a conch was considered a religious act.

Hinduism

Main article:Shankha

A Hindu priest blowing ashankha(a shell ofTurbinella pyrum) during apuja

Ancientindia,carved conch with Lakshmi-Narayana, 11th–12th century

Ashankhashell (the shell of aT. pyrum,a species in the gastropod familyTurbinellidae) is often referred to in the West as a conch shell or a chank shell. This shell is used as an important ritual object inHinduism.The shell is used as a ceremonial trumpet, as part of religious practices, for examplepuja.The chank trumpet is sounded during worship at specific points, accompanied by ceremonial bells and singing. As it is anauspiciousinstrument, it is of purity and brilliance (Om,Devas,Brahmanthe Almighty Supreme creator, referred to inmantras,theGayatri mantraexplains a meditation on the brilliance of the sun), it is often played in aLakshmipujain temple or at home.

In the story ofDhruva,the divine conch plays a special part. The warriors of ancient India blew conch shells to announce battle, as is described in the beginning of the war of Kurukshetra, in the Hindu epic theMahabharata.

The god of preservation,Vishnu,is said to hold a special conch, Panchajanya, that represents life, as it has come out of life-giving waters. According to Hindu mythology,Devas(gods) andAsuras(demons) once decided to churn the ocean to get a special divine nectar. This divine nectar, also known asamrit,was known to give immortality to whoever drank it. All the gods were on one side of it and the demons were on the other end. The churning (samudra manthan) produced a number of things from the ocean. One of the first things to come out of it was lethal poison calledhalahala.Everyone was terrified, as the poison was potent enough to destroy entire creation, so they went to Lord Shiva for protection and he consumed the poison to safeguard the universe. Lord Shiva took the poison in his mouth, but did not swallow it.Shankhaalso was one of divine objects that was obtained fromsamudra manthan.

Also, the sound of the conch is believed to drive away the evil spirits.

The blowing of the conch or "theshankha"needs a tremendous power and respiratory capacity. Hence, blowing it daily helps keep the lungs healthy.

A newlywed Bengali bride wears bangles calledshakha paula,made from coral and conch-shell powder. They have been a part of Bengali custom and tradition. In an ancient era, the Bengali farming community is thought to have resided near the river. They collected conch shells and powdered them to create bangles. They also used red coral for the bangles. They gave these beautiful bangles to their wives, as they could not afford ivory bangles. They were also known as poor-man's ivory, as they were cheap substitute for ivory bangles.

Literature and the oral tradition

• In the Hindu tradition, the conch shell is used in ceremony as the sound it makes is said to correspond with higher frequency universal sounds associated withmusic of the spheres.

See also

• Dakshinavarti shankha
• Lentigo pipus
• Seashell
• Seashell resonance

External links

• Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Conch".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.