Yes, it’s a ‘Forrest Gump’ reference and it should be predicted any time shrimp is mentioned for the subsequent 20 years. “Bubba Gump” shrimp is how Forrest made his millions in the Hollywood picture. But, the movie will always be remembered for the wonderful variety of ways an individual can make shrimp. As Bubba would say, “There’s barbecue shrimp, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp soup, fried shrimp.the list is nearly endless. And while there are certainly a large number of ways to cook shrimp, there’s basically a fair amount of confusion as to what precisely a shrimp actually is. Perhaps Bubba wasn’t basically cooking shrimp?

In Britain and a number of other places, what would be called shrimp in the US is actually referred to as as prawn. If you were to look at a prawn and a shrimp side by side, it might be virtually impossible to distinguish which was which. Technically talking a prawn truly is not a shrimp.

To the bare eye, the two may appear matching but they’re biologically different. On the stomach of a shrimp or prawn are flaps. Without going into too much detail and causing everybody to go running for a Biology book, let’s just say that the there is a very subtle difference between the first abdomen flap on a shrimp and a prawn. But fundamentally, these are the same creature.

As far as the USA citizens are concerned, a shrimp is any crustacean that is part of the Natantia family of crustaceans. It’s not relevant how gigantic the shrimp is or where it is found-so long as it’s a Nantantia crustacean-it’s a shrimp! However, there’s a rather strange phenomenon among Yank shrimp that does have to do with size.

Were Bubba to have grown up on the West Coast of the US, he actually would not have seen much potential in the shrimp-for eating, let alone making any money! The reason is because the standard size of a shrimp found of the West Coast is about ½ inch in length. For some reason, the Pacific Ocean just is not a great place for jumbo shrimp to grow. But elsewhere, it isn’t anything for shrimp to be 12 inches in length or more.

Shrimp, like any species, comes in a wide assortment of variety. There are rock, brine, royal red, white, brown, and even pink shrimp to choose from. Each offers a unique flavor and consistency but all are absolutely delicious when prepared properly. And, Bubba was correct-you can make shrimp just about any way your imagination will let you! So whether you want to call it prawn or just plain old shrimp-the truth is that it tastes great no matter how you make it!.

Do you enjoy cooking and learning more about food? If yes, you may also visit cooking101.org to learn more about the many different kinds of recipes and cooking ideas that will be useful next time you are in the kitchen. Also, you might want to check out shrimp coconut.