A traditional method of
processing and
preserving anchovies is to gut and
salt them in brine, allow them to
cure, and then pack them in oil or salt. This results in a characteristic strong flavor and the flesh turning a deep grey. Pickled in vinegar, as with Spanish
boquerones, anchovies are milder and the flesh retains a white color. In
Roman times, anchovies were the base for the fermented fish sauce
garum.
Garum had a sufficiently long shelf life for long-distance commerce, and was produced in industrial quantities. Anchovies were also eaten raw as an
aphrodisiac. Today, they are used in small quantities to flavor many dishes. Because of the strong flavor, they are also an ingredient in several sauces and condiments, including
Worcestershire sauce,
caesar salad dressing,
remoulade,
Gentleman's Relish, many
fish sauces, and in some versions of
Café de Paris butter. For domestic use, anchovy fillets are packed in oil or salt in small tins or jars, sometimes rolled around
capers.
Anchovy paste is also available.
Fishermen also use anchovies as bait for larger fish, such as
tuna and
sea bass. The strong taste people associate with anchovies is due to the
curing process. Fresh anchovies, known in
Italy as
alici, have a much milder flavor. The anchovies from
Barcola (in the local dialect:
sardoni barcolani) are particularly popular. These white fleshy fish, which are only found at
Sirocco in the
Gulf of Trieste, achieve the highest prices. In
Sweden and
Finland, the name "anchovies" is related strongly to a traditional seasoning, hence the product "anchovies" is normally made of
sprats and
herring can be sold as "anchovy-spiced". Fish from the family Engraulidae are instead known as
sardell in Sweden and
sardelli in
Finland, leading to confusion when translating recipes. In Southeast Asian countries like
Indonesia,
Singapore,
Malaysia and the
Philippines, they are deep-fried and eaten as a snack or a side dish. They are known as
ikan bilis in Malay,
ikan teri in Indonesian and
dilis in Filipino. ==See also==