page_title: Whelk
section_title: Asia
hierarchical_section_title: Whelk / Usage / Asia
caption_attribution_description: spiral shellfish on a skewer
context_page_description: Whelk is a common name that is applied to various kinds of sea snail. Although a number of whelks are relatively large and are in the family Buccinidae, the word whelk is also applied to some other marine gastropod species within several families of sea snails that are not very closely related.
  Many have historically been used, or are still used, by humans and other animals for food.
  Dog whelks were used in antiquity to make a rich red dye that improves in color as it ages.
  True whelks are carnivorous, feeding on worms, crustaceans, mussels and other molluscs, drilling holes through shells to gain access to the soft tissues. Whelks use chemoreceptors to locate their prey.
context_section_description: In Japan, whelks (ツブ, 螺, tsubu) are frequently used in sashimi and sushi. In Vietnam, they are served in a dish called Bún ốc - vermicelli with sea snails. Golbaengi-muchim (골뱅이 무침) is a Korean dish consisting of whelks and with chili sauce in a salad with cold noodles. It has been a very popular side dish with alcohol for many generations.
caption: Skewered whelks from Japan.
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