The History of Calamari

Calamari is the Italian word for squid, and while the seafood has long been a staple in Mediterranean cuisines, it didn’t catch on in the United States until the tail end of the 20th century. Until relatively recently, fishermen along the Eastern seaboard would use any squid they caught as bait, and if they had enough bait, they would cast the squid back into the sea. While immigrant communities utilized squid, it wasn’t really seen as a mainstream culinary option until the Cornell Cooperative Extension Division (CCED) got involved. Due to dwindling stocks of traditionally fished seafood, Long Island fishermen were struggling the 1970s and 1980s. The CCED encouraged fishermen to maintain their businesses by targeting underfished species — especially squid. Several other agencies got on board, including federal agencies, and the movement went national. These agencies encouraged restaurant owners to replace difficult-to-source seafood dishes with squid. However, chefs were concerned that large chunks of squid would be too foreign and unpalatable for customers used to eating familiar items like haddock and cod, so they began offering smaller portions of squid as an appetizer. They ensured the squid was breaded and fried because that’s how American diners preferred to consume other types of seafood. This practice among chefs was encouraged by various agencies in hopes of making the great squid experiment a success. Chefs were also encouraged to use the Italian name, “calamari,” instead of “squid,” as they assumed the word would make the dish seem more European and appealing. Calamari quickly caught on and sales of squid nearly doubled between 1989 and 1994. The dish was already popular in areas with large populations of immigrants from the Mediterranean region, but it gained widespread appeal as an appetizer in American restaurants throughout the 1990s. Today, calamari is a staple offering on many restaurant menus throughout the United States.