Periwinkle is not apoofee
The special feature with headline “Special report on periwinkles” which appeared in the February 13, 2014 issue is very relevant and interesting because it purports to educate the public on an important aquatic resource. The author deserves commendation for the extensive culinary and dietary information provided.
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However, a misrepresentation of the English name of the organism in question led the author to project a different organism altogether, instead of the targeted one.
My motivation for writing this rejoinder is twofold. First, it is common knowledge that the media are a potent source of education which when wrongly delivered could cause more harm than good.
Hence, it is imperative to rectify the anomalies in the said article for the benefit of the readers of this popular newspaper. Second, some of the current students, as well as graduates, from my department (Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Science at the University of Cape Coast), where I profess, will surely expect reactions from some of us to straighten the facts not so well presented in the article.
In the article under reference, the group name periwinkle was erroneously attributed to apoofee. This led the author to assign the scientific name Littorina littorea to it. Indeed, periwinkles are small marine snails belonging to the family Littorinidae and so the author went to town writing on the morphology (i.e. external features) and habitat (where it occurs) of Littorina littorea. Unfortunately, this particular periwinkle happens to be the commonest periwinkle found in the temperate regions, especially the United Kingdom and other European countries. It is, therefore, mentioned in many textbooks used even in the tropics.
On the Internet Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica and other sources on the Google search engine, Littorina littorea is mentioned as the common periwinkle. In Ghana, there are at least four different periwinkles, namely Littorina punctata, L. cingulifera, L. angulifera and Nodolittorina meleagris — which are all typical residents of rocky beaches but L. angulifera also penetrates estuaries.
Our apoofee is a snail with a turreted spiky shell as shown by the photographs displayed in the article under reference. This is unlike the “irregular oval shape” of the shell of Littorina littorea stated by the author. The scientific name of apoofee is Tympanotonus fuscata and belongs to the family Potamididae. It lives on the sand and sandy-mud substrates of lagoons and estuaries. It is, therefore, a brackish water snail and “not mostly abundant on rocky substrates” as the article wanted us to believe.
Even more confusing is the narrative in the article attributed to a 52-year-old periwinkle seller that “they usually bought the periwinkles from the Mankessim Market, which wholesalers carry in sacks from Yeji in the Brong Ahafo Region.”
It is well known that the portion of the Volta River at Yeji is freshwater and is neither brackish nor marine. No periwinkle can thrive there! The so-called periwinkle seller was probably selling a freshwater snail called Potadoma sp. which also has a turreted but smooth shell and is found in many rivers and streams. This is what some Fantes call abebew or hyowhyow.
If, on the other hand, she was indeed selling apoofee then she must have been informed wrongly about their source. I have been fortunate to experience the delicious taste of both apoofee and abebew and recommend them to anyone who cares to try them.
In conclusion, apoofee alias Tympanotonus fuscata is not a periwinkle. It is a brackish water snail found in coastal lagoons and estuaries. Such water bodies are nowhere near Yeji in the Brong Ahafo Region. Littorina littorea, on the other hand, is a periwinkle found in the temperate region. It is also edible but should not be confused with our delicious apoofee.
Writer’s email: Kyankson201@yahoo.com