Seafood is a staple in nearly every Chilean's diet. Shellfish such as loco (abalone), erizo (sea urchin) and piure (an unusual red invertebrate) join more widely known fish, including sardines, salmon, congrio (conger eel) and atÃºn (yellowfin tuna).
To work efficiently, pipes need a way of regulating how much fluid can pass through them; they also need a way of switching the flow off completely. That's the job that valves do: valves are like mechanical switches that can turn pipes on and off or raise or lower the amount of fluid flowing through them.
A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category. In an open valve, fluid flows in a direction from higher pressure to lower pressure. The word is derived from the Latin valva, the moving part of a door, in turn from volvere, to turn, roll. The simplest, and very ancient, valve is simply a freely hinged flap which drops to obstruct fluid (gas or liquid) flow in one direction, but is pushed open by flow in the opposite direction. This is called a check valve, as it prevents or checks the flow in one direction.