What does pasta with squid ink taste like?
 

A silly question, I know, and completely out of the blue. I'm not even currently planning a trip to Venice, where I understand it's a specialty, but I'm afraid I'll forget to ask later. I want to know before confronting it on a menu how it will taste... and I would rather have an idea than ask the waiter, "Does it taste fishy?"

So, as strange a question as it may seem, I am completely serious... Can someone enlighten me on what this stuff tastes like?

very mildly fishy, more salty than anything but not too salty imo
Not as fishy, nor salty, than say, anchovies
The pasta in the dish is just as important a flavor, it's not like drinking the squid ink by itself

I had this for the first time in an Italian restaurant in Paris. It was slightly salty, as elaine says, no actually fishy but had a sea like flavor..if they make it well, it is wonderful :)

I'm happy you will try it. It is wonderful, depending on the recipe you will get the calamari flavor or not. It comes from the sac of the cuddlefish and how dark the dish will be is how much they use. You can buy squid ink on line. Why not try some with your pasta sauce and see if you like it.

Very slight salt taste as elaine said. Not really that much flavor, but more of a mild trace flavor.

I had squid ink pasta a few years ago, although in the US. What remained with me was the unusual mouthfeel; it wasn't offensive, just unusual. It is beautiful and fun to eat, cuz, come on, how often do you get to eat BLACK pasta??

Jocylyn, you can buy squid ink pasta on line. And how you prepare whether fresh ink or packaged, it doesn't have to be salty but will give you a "sea" taste.
Those of you who have visited Spain otr Japon, most likely tasted it.

I once (a longggg time ago) served "Stuffed Squid in It's Own Ink Sauce". I had squid and one recipe. I don't remember the sauce tasting of anything special.

I do remember that many of the guests were totally freaked out. LOL I don't socialize with or cook for them to this day!

I love risotto with squid ink. The first time I had it was at the Il Mercato restaurant in Milan. I would encourage anyone to try it at least once. Not a strange question at all IMO. Do let us know how you like it!!

I was wondering the same thing actually. I have decided that I can live a long and full life without ever eating squid ink. I can find no reason to eat squid ink. Now, if you really want a GOOD Venetian specialty, have the calves liver!!!!! YUM!!! (:

If you tell someone what a dish is and it's something they THINK they don't like they will freak out. I once made Beef Stroganoff years ago for my FIL who hates sour cream, he loved it!
My cousin hated lamb,yet raved about the dinner and later when I said it was lamb, she was upset.

Excuse my ignorance, but does squid (do squid) have shells? What about the adventurous eaters among us who are allergic to shellfish? Are we likely to be allergic to squid also? I know, I know, this may be a medical question, and I'm not about to dash out and eat any. Just wondering if any of you know.

Hi crefloors, I love the Ventian liver also, but some people I know gag at the thought of liver. And I love lamb, but know people that will not touch it. What, to me, is funny (both LOL and strange funny) is that none of the people have eaten liver or lamb. So how do they know if they like it or not? Mimi, I broiled lamb chops one night for my grandson. I didn't realize it but he thought he was eating a small steak. He told me after dinner that he thought that was the best steak he had ever eaten. I said &quot;oh honey, that was lamb chops&quot;. He actually went pale and said &quot;oh Grandma, I <i>hate</i> lamp chops! I responded &quot;I guess not&quot;, LOL.

no squid is like octopus
you know it as calamari, no shell at all ( with tenticles)

Squid ink is really very mild tasting, but a little salty. I agree with the person who said it tastes like the sea. Pasta with squid ink is pretty popular in Sicily, but I don't remember ordering it in Sicily. (I'd had it before and I liked it but didn't love it.) I don't understand what people think is so strange or disgusting about it though.

I hate calves liver--can't stand the texture. I used to like pork liver when my grandmother made it, but now I can't even find pork liver, not even at a pork butcher at the pork butcher in the local farmers' market. (What happens to all those pigs' livers, I wonder.)

That's right, Mimi! Thanks for your response. I'd forgotten that squid is calamari, which if prepared well is, as Rachel Ray would say, yummo.

Hi loveitaly: isn't it funny about food. I guess it's the eye appeal, or NOT...I just can't eat black pasta!!! LOL But now I'm heading for Denmark and Sweden the first of the year and am going to eat pickled herring any way I can find it and as much as I can consume and I know some people are going &quot;oh yuk, yuk yuk!!!!&quot; LOL My grandmother was swedish so I ate a lot of that kind of stuff but must say that herring, like shushi, IS an aquired taste. Tastes like chicken. :D It took me along time to work up to snails..started with dipping my bread in the butter. I STILL have to close my eyes when I eat 'em though..they look HORRIBLE!!! Little black slimy things that they are, but yummy just the same.

LoveItaly: I was shocked to learn recently that a few people I know in the US had NEVER eaten lamb! It was such a common meat when I was growing up, and I assumed it was a staple in most meat-eating American families. It was ALWAYS the meat eaten at Easter and sometimes at Christmas. I know a lot of people who hate it becaue of the smell. although I like lamb myself, I think I know what they mean about the smell, but I just don't react the same way to that certain smell and taste.

IMO, squid ink tastes just like cuttlefish. I hope this does not lead to the next logical question as to what is cuttlefish. I remember eating those small herring-looking things as a kid for brekfast in Eastern Europe, so when I first tasted pasta with squid ink, it was like a major-major de ja vue [sp]. It is relatively tasty. Not amazing, but interesting.

Anna Roz

Firstly, anything from the sea that is not totally fresh has the potential of having that fishy taste--this item is no exception. A good way to try it might be in a side-dish as my initiation was, that way if you aren't crazy about it you aren't going away hungry and the poorer for it at that!

I had a lovely risotto set off with squid ink one evening at La Duree on the Champs &Eacute;lys&eacute;es. It is not something I would have ordered, had I realized what it was, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was not fishy at all and (as someone mentioned already) I found a slight mineral taste. I think the secret was that they didn't over do it on the squid ink; it complemented the dish rather than overwhelming it.

All I can think about is having like a black ring around my lips and black teeth and tongue after eating ink. Sort of an Elvira look about me..hmmm..maybe I'll serve it on Halloween..or make all the kids eat it before they get their candy.

Hi

My mother was born in Padua just near Venice. She makes it with rice though. She does not use squid. She uses cuttlefish. &quot;Riso e seppie&quot; is the name of the dish. The dish is popular with the Spanish too and there is some conjecture whether it originates from Italy or Spain. I love seafood but I must confess that this is the only dish I don't like (apart from Oysters Naturale). Hence I'm quite willing to concede the origins of this dish to the Spaniards! It is served up in its icky blackness and has a distinctly fishy taste. Too overpowering for me. But I do feel you should try it. As someone suggested perhaps order it as an entree or side dish.

Buon appetito

Salty/fishy. Mostly salty. Be careful when you eat it though, my husband ruined a perfectly good shirt when he got a little &quot;spagetti backsplash&quot;. (Little black specs) The waiter must have been accustomed to this as he promplty brought a can of some type of stain spray - it didn't work.

What is the difference between squid and cuttlefish? I thought they were the same thing until I ordered cuttlefish at a restaurant in Rome and the proprietor was amazed that I would ever think cuttlefish was squid. After eating it, I'm still confused.

LOL, what a wonderful thread! Thank you ceb1222, you have brought up such an interesting subject.

cmt, what happens to all those pig livers. That is a good question LOL. I don't think I ever have heard of pig livers. Calf and chicken livers but pig livers? Does someone here know

Hi crefloors, there was a restaurant in Carmel, Swedish or Danish I don't remember which. Picled herring was served, I cringed, but I actually loved it. And there was a small French restaurant outside of Napa that moved to outside of Sonoma that served snails. And even though so many thought it was digusting I did liked them in a garlicky butter. But I like raw oysters, mussels etc. I like rabbit and venison also so guess I have strange taste.

And cmt, about lamb. My father who was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia like lamb more then beef. I grew up eating lamb. And of course you and I both know that Italians love lamb. A problem in my family at Easter is my Rome born and raised SIL likes leg of lamb for Easter as I do but my daughter and the rest of the family does not. They want ham. Ham is not one of my favorite meats. But you are right, some people do not like the aroma of lamb, but those of us do really do, don't we? Especially with garlic inserted into the lamb and lemon juice. And rosemary sprigs on top. Oh sigh! And I too have discovered that so many people, especially where I live know have never eaten lamb. It amazes me!

And oh worldinthebag, I can only imagine how wonderful your mothers risotto was! And Padua is such a beautiful city. Lucky you!!!

So, I will go to bed hungry after all this talk of fantastic food! Mangia!

it really depends how it's made...

i love seafood of all varieties and have had squid ink pasta many times outside of venice (in restaurants and at home with pasta from the market). All these times, i would agree with the posters that the taste was very mild and the major difference from &quot;regular&quot; pasta was the colour.

however, when i had this dish in venice and the taste was much bolder. the flavour was fantastic but i have to say that after several mouthfuls it became quite overpowering. after the meal, i was tasting the very strong fish taste for at least 24 hours.

it is hard to separate the taste of the sauce from the pasta but this strong taste i have to attribute mostly to the pasta. i would certainly recommend trying it in venice and yes, i would order it again.

It tastes like shi*.

In response to the zoologically curious, squid and cuttlefish are both members of the Class Cephalopoda (which includes octopus, the chambered nautilus, and a few other similar critters) of the Phylum Mollusca (which includes clams and snails), so they're relatively closely related. Cuttlefish have an external shell, but otherwise the two animals are quite similar anatomically, and each has an ink sac.

It depends on whether you mean just the dried pasta dyed with ink or the pasta with a sauce made of ink. The former tastes pretty much like any other pasta to me - it's just that's it's black. I had the pasta with cuttlefish ink sauce in Venice this year &amp; found it hard going - the sauce wasn't unpleasant but it was really thick, intense and rich. The first mouthful was quite nice but I couldn't eat more than a few mouthfuls.

Hi Nikki
&gt;What is the difference between squid and cuttlefish? &lt;

Google the names and click &quot;images&quot;.

((I))

It tastes about like you'd expect, but not as interesting.

Another question for the rabidly curious: Just what <i>is</i> squid ink? I mean what purpose does it serve for the squid? Is it a liquid he/she releases to provide protection from prey or what?

Ira, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Squid have ink for defense. When persued by a predator, they can release clouds of ink in an attempt to make a getaway &quot;under cover&quot;.

I was in Sicily last week (report to follow once finished) , and brought back two jars of Squid ink, so I can make my own pasta sauce or paella.

Sorry - in my earlier post I inadvertently typed &quot;external&quot; instead of &quot;internal&quot; in describing the shell of the cuttlefish. It is indeed internal, and is known as the &quot;cuttlebone&quot; - it's that ovoid rasplike object that's sold in pet stores for pet birds to rub their beaks on. Squid also have in internal stiffening structure called the &quot;pen&quot; that's made of clear plastic-like substance called chitin. The chambered nautilus is a similar squid-like creature that does in fact have an external shell, which is often sawed in half and sold in shell shops.

This post reminds me of the last time I was in Venice ... although I've never tried it (and can't say I ever will) a lady sitting at a table next to my family was eating pasta with squid ink. I'm not sure if she really wasn't aware, but as she was slurping up her pasta, the noodles were slapping her face, leaving black lines all over her face! I really don't think she knew she had black lines all over her face, and she was alone so no one told her. LOL It was hard not to sit and stare at her! Sorry, a little off the topic, but just thought about this memory while reading this post and decided to share!

&gt;...as she was slurping up her pasta, the noodles were slapping her face, leaving black lines all over her face!&lt;

That'll teach her to slurp her pasta.

((I))

Got it once by mistake in Lisbon. What does it taste like? Who knows? I ate the bread.

Excuse me, but I think I'm going to lose my lunch now.....

Thanks for all the responses! I used to be the pickiest eater, and I especially hated all fish and seafood. I guess my tastebuds matured along with me! The first dish to get me over the hurdle was fried calamari; then, believe it or not, sushi. I figured once I liked sushi that I'd HAVE to start liking other types of fish. Now I'm nearly a certified &quot;foodie&quot;, and I eat and enjoy lots of different types of food.

I will definitely try it - I've made it a policy to try new food! I just wanted to have a heads up...

So another question: it seems like there are two types - pasta dyed with squid ink, and an actual squid ink sauce... I always assumed it was a sauce, but I'm guessing pasta dyed with it is kind of like eating tri-colored tortellini here in America? If it's pasta or risotto with a squid ink SAUCE, is there anything else in the sauce? Guess I'll have to plan a trip to Italy to find out!

Cigalechante - I will look it up online, thanks! On a side note - I love beef stroganoff - glad your father in law liked it too! That's a traditional dish in my family...

Where in Spain is squid ink a specialty? I lived in Sevilla for a semester during school, but never saw this... Of course, at that time, I was still in my &quot;no fish&quot; stage!