How to reco­gni­ze it:
When refer­ring to cepha­lo­pods, octo­pus is usual­ly what is meant. It has eight ten­ta­cles, many suckers, and lives pri­ma­ri­ly in the Mediterranean. It pre­fers war­mer waters.

Octopus is sui­ta­ble for the­se recipes:
Grilled. As a salad—with toma­toes, cele­ry, or pota­toes and capers. Or pre­pared in the clas­sic Galician style.

Weight: 3–10 kg
Size: 30–90 cm

Also known as:
German: Krake, Tintenfisch
French: Poulpe
Italian: Polpo
Spanish: Pulpo
English: Octopus

How to reco­gni­ze it:
Squid are cepha­lo­pods with 10 arms and a wedge-shaped body.
There are over 250 dif­fe­rent spe­ci­es. They have gills, brea­the like fish, and are among the few ani­mals that can also live in the icy waters of Antarctica.

Squid is sui­ta­ble for the­se recipes:
Cut into rings and fried. Or small squid stuf­fed with vege­ta­bles and pan-fried or steamed.

Weight: 0.00033 g–495 kg
Size: 20 mm–14 m

Also known as:
German: Kalmar, Tintenfisch
French: Calmar
Italian: Calamaro
Spanish: Calamar, Lura
English: Squid

How to reco­gni­ze it:

Cuttlefish are rather elon­ga­ted, wedge-shaped, and have 10 arms.
Unlike octo­puses and squid, cuttle­fi­sh rare­ly swim free­ly through the oce­an but often stay clo­se to the seabed.

Cuttlefish is sui­ta­ble for the­se recipes:
Briefly pan-fried in oli­ve oil and ser­ved on salad, sum­mer vege­ta­bles, or risotto.

Weight: 3–10 kg
Size: 15–50 cm

Also known as:
German: Sepia, Tintenfisch
French: Sèche
Italian: Seppia
Spanish: Jibia
English: Cuttlefish/Squid