Conch

[3] The English word "conch" is attested in Middle English,[4] coming from Latin concha (shellfish, mussel),[4][5] which in turn comes from Greek konchē (same meaning)[4][5] ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *konkho-,[4] cognate with Sanskrit word śaṅkha.

[6][7] The meat of conches are often eaten raw in salads or cooked in burgers, chowders, fritters, and gumbos.

In the Dominican Republic, Grenada, and Haiti, conch is commonly eaten in curries or in a spicy soup.

Eighty per cent of the queen conch meat in international trade is imported into the United States.

[12] In the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Conch Festival is held in November each year at the Three Queens Bar/Restaurant in Blue Hills.

CT scans showed how ancient humans adapted the Concho to make it a musical instrument, such as creating a mouthpiece that was held together by an organic matter like clay or wax.

[14] In some gemological texts, non-nacreous gastropod pearls used to be referred to as "calcareous concretions" because they were porcellaneous (shiny and ceramic-like in appearance), rather than nacreous (with a pearly luster).

The microstructure of conch pearls comprises partly aligned bundles of microcrystalline fibers that create a shimmering, slightly iridescent effect known as flame structure.

The effect is a form of chatoyancy, caused by the interaction of light rays with the microcrystals in the pearl's surface, and it somewhat resembles moiré silk.

[citation needed] The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the sea and often depicted conch shells in their art.

The chank trumpet is sounded during worship at specific points, accompanied by ceremonial bells and singing.

The warriors of ancient India blew conch shells to announce battle, as is described in the beginning of the war of Kurukshetra, in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata.

The god of preservation, Vishnu, is said to hold a special conch, Panchajanya, that represents life, as it has come out of life-giving waters.

According to Hindu mythology, Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons) once decided to churn the ocean to get a special divine nectar.

[citation needed] A newlywed Bengali bride wears bangles called shakha paula, made from coral and conch-shell powder.