Anchovies Reading Answers

An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 17 genera; they are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, and in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Anchovies are usually classified as oily fish. Anchovies are small, green fish with blue reflections due to a silver- coloured longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of the caudal or tail fin. They range from 2 to 40 centimetres in adult length, and their body shapes are variable with more slender fish in northern populations. The snout is blunt with tiny, sharp teeth in both jaws. The snout contains a unique rostral organ, believed to be electro -sensory in nature, although its exact function is unknown. The mouth is larger than that of herrings and silversides two fish which anchovies closely resemble in other respects. The anchovy noshes plankton and recently hatched fish. 

Anchovies are found in scattered areas throughout the world's oceans, but are concentrated in temperate waters and are rare or absent in very cold or very warm seas. They are generally very accepting of a wide range of temperatures and salinity. Large schools can be found in shallow, brackish areas with muddy bottoms, as in estuaries and bays. The European anchovy is abundant in the Mediterranean. 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. Pickled in vinegar, as with Spanish boquerones, anchovies are milder, and the flesh retains a white colour. 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 flavour many dishes. Because of the strong flavour, they are also an ingredient in several pottages 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 flavour. 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 are 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 sardell in Finland, leading to confusion when translating recipes. In Southeast Asian countries soe Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, they are deep-fried and eaten as a snack or a side dish. They are known as Ikan Bilis in Malay and Ikan Teri in Indonesian.