Perhaps odder still is the fact that when Europeans colonized North America, they came here as mussel eaters but abandoned their taste for them once they moved in. The truth is the Indians living along the New England shore mistakenly believed mussels were poisonous and warned the new arrivals against them. Intent upon survival, the colonists took them at their word. Instead, the plentiful supply of oysters and clams satisfied the shellfish cravings of the earliest Americans.

Even in those days people on the West Coast had to be different. Native Americans from Alaska to California were big mussel fans, and mounds of their black shells can still be found in refuse heaps near the sites of early settlements. However, the West Coast Indians were aware that under certain conditions mussels actually can be toxic and only consumed their favorite mollusk from September through April.

Mussels get their nourishment by filtering up to 18 gallons of water a day and retaining everything of substance in their systems. A certain type of plankton which is prevalent in Pacific coastal waters in the summer months produces a poison called saxitoxin, and mussels consuming this plankton become dangerous for humans to eat. Luckily, this plankton gives off an iridescent glow in the water, and Indians who lived along the Pacific shoreline read the fluorescent tide as a tell-tale signal to change the menu for a few months.

This type of plankton does not make a regular appearance on the Atlantic Coast, but an occasional red tide will foul the Eastern seaboard and temporarily render the mussels there unfit to eat. Perhaps these unpredictable events prompted the eastern Indians to not take any chances and shun mussels altogether.

Today all American mussels sold in restaurants or grocery stores are farm raised in carefully controlled waters. This kind of aquaculture is not new; in fact, it's been a booming industry in Europe for a long time. The Irish entrepreneur who is credited for inventing the process of mussel farming stumbled into his vocation in 1235. After fleeing his native soil under questionable circumstances, he was shipwrecked on a bleak region of French shoreline. To survive, Patrick Walton stretched nets between stakes set out in shallow ocean water in the vain attempt to snare sea birds for food. The birds probably enjoyed the perch, but the nets were unsuccessful traps. Instead, Mr. Walton noticed that a profusion of mussels had happily attached themselves to the stakes, and he altered his appetite to suit the situation. It is also said that he invented a flat-bottomed boat called an "acon" which he used to harvest his windfall crop. To this day, many mussels are farmed using similar stakes and collection boats.

As on the Pacific coast, evidence exists that mussel consumption predated advanced civilization throughout Europe. Their wide availability made them a staple in cuisines across the continent, and every country developed its special recipes. The French prefer them steamed in wine with shallots, and the famous mussel soup, billi-bi was first created at Maxim's in Paris. The Italians enjoy them on pasta with a variety of sauces, while the Spanish tuck them into casseroles like paella. As part of the Belgian diet they are eaten raw and are sold as French fries by street vendors.

Most of the mussels available in supermarkets are the shiny, blue/black variety that are relatively inexpensive, and are a terrific source of protein while being fashionably low in fat and calories. Some people feel daunted at the prospect of cleaning and preparing them, but actually this is a very simple matter.

Mussels should always be purchased live, stored dry in a bowl in the refrigerator, and cooked no more than a day or two later. Just before cooking, the "beard" should be trimmed from each shell using a sharp paring knife. The beard is comprised of long filaments called byssus threads by which mussels cling to their supports in the ocean.

Place the mussels in a sink or bowl of cool water and rub them together to loosen any sand clinging to their shells (this brief process should be repeated in two or three changes of water. The mussels are then ready for any number of delicious preparations, and they only need to be cooked for a few minutes.