La scallop (pectinidae) is a mollusk that has become the symbol of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. Because? There are several theories. According to some, since it is a typical Galician mollusk, pilgrims took it back to their homes as proof of having completed the Camino. (Interestingly, the species most associated with the Camino, the one known as pecten jacobaeus, is actually typical of the Mediterranean, while in Galicia another species is popular, known as pectin maximus).
Other theories affirm that they are due to a well-known medieval legend according to which, while the Saint's body was being transported to Galicia, one of the horses fell into the water, and emerged covered in shells. (A variant of this legend claims that as the saint's body was being landed, a rider's horse on the beach got startled and ran into the sea, emerging covered in shells.)
In addition to this symbolic content, the scallop also served a practical function. According to what is stated, during the Middle Ages, pilgrims carried these shells along the way, and when they appeared before abbeys, churches, houses... the locals provided them with as much food and drink as would fit in one of them.
