Although you might think that the word shrimp originally referred to the small, tasty shellfish and that it was only later used as a contemptuous epithet for diminutive people, probably the reverse is true: when shrimp appeared in English in the fourteenth century, it referred to small creatures and items of all sorts, including people, and its specific application to the tiny shellfish probably grew out of this wider, original usage. English seems to have acquired shrimp by adapting the Middle High German word schrimpfen, meaning to shrink. Schrimpfen probably evolved from the same Germanic source as serincan, an Old English word that developed into the Modern English shrink (which came to mean psychiatrist in the early 1960s, the earlier term headshrinker having been used since 1950). Other words that developed from the same Germanic source as shrimp and shrink include scrimp (a verb meaning to give someone less than enough), skimpy (an adjective meaning less than enough), and even crimp (a verb meaning to create a pattern by squishing something down). Incidentally, all the other European languages derive their words for shrimp from entirely different sources than English. The French, for example, refer to shrimp as crevette, a Picardy word meaning little goat, so called because the swimming motion of the shrimp resembles the bounding leaps of a goat.
This is a small saltwater crustacean that has an elongated, slender body and a soft, translucent shell. When uncooked, it may appear greenish-grey, pale pink, or brown in color. In the past, it was believed that any raw pink shrimps were spoiled, although it is still recommended to inquire about their origin and investigate their freshness by using the sense of smell. Shrimps are a highly versatile ingredient that can be prepared in numerous ways, ranging from simply boiled shrimps served as a cocktail or appetizer with a hot sauce, to more elaborately prepared dishes for the main course. They are widely popular in virtually every region of the world.
Shrimp, a diminutive shellfish belonging to the same family as crayfish, is available year-round and comes in various species. The common brown or gray shrimp found in Europe shares similarities with the Pacific and Atlantic Crangon vulgaris. These shrimp are abundant and appear translucent gray when caught but transform into a reddish-brown hue when boiled. The rose or pink shrimp, harvested from deeper waters, offers a more delicate flavor. Shrimp can be acquired in different forms, including frozen, potted, and canned. They are also readily available precooked, saving time and effort in the kitchen.