If you want to be mistaken for a Florida Keys resident — or at least an island-savvy regular visitor — don’t ever say “kontch.” The word “conch” is pronounced “konk,” like a conk on the head (which is what you deserve if you persist in using the wrong pronunciation).

The fluted, pink-lined conch shell was used by early Keys seafarers (usually older than the crew pictured here!) as a signaling device.

For those of you who haven’t encountered it before, a conch is a mollusk (sometimes known as a sea snail). That might not sound too appetizing, but actually conch meat is served and savored in at least half the restaurants from Key Largo to Key West.

It tastes a bit like abalone, and you can find it in creamy white or tomato-based chowder, chewy deep-fried fritters served with cocktail sauce or mustard sauce, and even breaded and fried as conch steak. No two restaurants prepare it quite the same way — which means you can have a great time sampling conch in many different eateries, comparing tastes and cooking techniques.

As well as eating conch, early Keys residents used its fluted pink-lined shell as a horn for long-distance signaling. And according to legend, they came to admire the mollusk’s tough, hardy nature so much that they adopted its name for themselves.

Many things in the Keys bear the name "Conch." Here, NBC "Today" weatherman Al Roker, left, rides the Conch Tour Train during a live broadcast from the island chain. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Today, conch is no longer fished in the Keys, but the word “conch” refers to someone born in the island chain — which is affectionately known as the Conch Republic.

How did that name come about? Like many other things in the Keys, it’s a long story. It involves loaves of stale Cuban bread, a governmental border checkpoint, a request for $1 billion in foreign aid, and the Florida Keys’ 1982 secession from the United States.

The story began when a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint was set up without warning in Florida City, at the head of the Keys, ostensibly so agents could search cars for drugs and illegal aliens. The roadblock created a traffic jam miles long on U.S. 1, the only road that connects the island chain to mainland Florida, for vehicles leaving the Keys.

The massive traffic delays threatened to derail the fledgling tourism industry and made locals furious. The border patrol checkpoint, they figured, meant the government was treating their beloved Keys like a foreign country. With impeccable logic, they decided the island chain should BECOME a foreign country.

In 1982, hundreds gathered to watch the historic secession ceremony and birth of the independent Conch Republic.

On April 23, 1982, in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Key West’s Mallory Square, a hardy group of patriots proclaimed the Keys the independent Conch Republic and hoisted a flag bearing a large conch shell on a field of blue. They declared war on the United States by ceremoniously bopping a U.S. Navy sailor on the head with a loaf of stale Cuban bread, surrendered 60 seconds later and demanded $1 billion in foreign aid.

The story of the secession captured international attention, and the imaginations of thousands of people who flocked to visit the new country. During the excitement caused by the birth of a nation, the Border Patrol checkpoint quietly vanished, never to reappear.

NBC "Today" weatherman Al Roker, left, shows a Conch Republic flag during a special broadcast with anchor Matt Lauer, right, from the fabled republic. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Loyal citizens are still waiting for the foreign aid (no surprise there). But that hasn’t dampened the spirit of the republic, whose motto is “we seceded where others failed.” Conch Republic passports and royal blue flags are as popular today as they were in 1982, and ambassadorships are highly prized.

If you can’t visit the island nation any time soon — or, if you want to learn more about it while planning a tropical trek — check out www.conchrepublic.com. And when you do arrive, remember one vital rule: don’t ever call it the “Kontch” Republic.