INTRODUCTION
The word "Scallop" can bring several images to mind: perhaps first a decorative motif used on the edge of draperies or clothing or in jewellery. The shell of the great scallop (Pecten maximus) was a symbol used by artists throughout the centuries. Greek temples and Roman vases were adorned with shell motifs. A famous example from mediaeval times is the Triton Fountain in Rome. The marble fountain, designed by Bernini in 1642, shows Triton, son of the sea god Poseidon, perched on a large, open scallop shell supported by two dolphins.
Then there are the scallops that are eaten, perhaps prepared as Coquille St. Jacques. The muscle of the scallop mollusc is prepared with a cream sauce and served in the shell. The literal translation for "Coquilles St. Jacques" is "Shell of St. James". This goes directly back to the Middle Ages, when a scallop shell was the badge worn by pilgrims to the shrine of St. James the Apostle in Campostello, Spain. Scallop shells were plentiful on the northern Spanish beaches.
Pecten is Latin for "comb", and Pliny, the Roman philosopher, gave scallops the name because their round outline with radiating ribs reminded him of a style of comb used during the Roman Empire. P. maximus is a European species, and shows very well the fluted edges of the "scalloped" shell.