Polpo in America is mostly available frozen in fish stores and in some gourmet groceries. The best polpi are imported from Portugal and the medium size, weighing about 1 ½ pounds, are the most desirable because they are young and tender. The polpo is all edible, except for the mouth, eyes, and stomach; usually can be bought clean and ready to cook. Octopus can be a different and delightful appetizer; it can be served dressed with olive oil, lemon and garlic or fried in olive oil, garlic and parsley. As the main dish, the polpo is stewed in tomato sauce and called polpo murato, because it is cooked in a sealed airtight earthware, hence named walled up, murato. Boiled polpo with lemon is served hot from the pot; it is a good snack and in my family, offered a few hours after dinner, it was and still is considered the best and most original conclusion to a holiday feast!