Anchovies and anchovies are they the same thing? The two terms refer to same fish or not? And above all, are we referring to a defined species? The answer is “Depends”. In reality, only in Italy does this distinction exist between anchovy and anchovy, while more commonly in English we speak indiscriminately of anchovy and in academic language the scientific name is used: Engraulis encrasicolus. It would therefore be the same fish and it seems that the different Italian nomenclature derives only from processing method: anchovies for whole fish, anchovies when they are subjected to various processes or marinades. These small silvery fish, regardless of their name, represent one of the most important species in the Mediterranean and are widely consumed throughout Europe.
Are anchovies and anchovies synonymous?
If we open our favorite browser and do a simple image search we immediately realize that what we type could make a difference in our results. If we write “anchovies” what comes out are purely images of fresh fish, live or cooked in different ways; if instead we beat “anchovies” and press enter most of the results show threads of canned fish, processed or stored in glass jars.
It is never easy to explain how and why two different terms have somehow become synonymous. There don’t seem to be enough studies to precisely outline this different nomenclature used in Italy. However, it appears interesting how the word anchovy is preferred infood use and industrial to mean clean fish, salted and preserved in salt, oil or brine. Anchovies, on the other hand, are preferably understood as whole fish. Yet in academic field “anchovy” is a well-defined term that describes a whole family of bony fish.
We can therefore use these two terms as synonyms? In common speech we would tell you about Yesas also confirmed by Annex 1 to the “Ministerial Decree n°19105 of 22 September 2017” of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF), which identifies the scientific names of various fish species in relation to the common names . In fact, it would be more correct to call these fish by their own scientific name… but this too is not a matter of course.
What fish is anchovy?
Whether we call them anchovies or anchovies what we are meaning is a bony fish very common in our seas, belonging to the Engraulidae family, whose scientific name is Engraulis encrasicolus (Linnaeus, 1758), commonly called European anchovy. Or rather, it is very likely that we are referring to this species, because the scientific name of the fish is not always indicated on the packages.
In fact, in the academic world, the term “anchovy” (literally “anchovy”) refers to fish with Engraulinae family (order Clupeiformes), which is divided into two large subfamilies: Coilinae and Engraulinae. Within the Engraulinae we find 17 genera and 141 speciesincluding, precisely, the European anchovy E. encrasicolus which we find abundantly in the Mediterranean.
These are small fish from elongated shape and of silvery-grey color long on average 10-15 cm which are typically found off the coast of Mediterraneandel Black Sea and in the eastern area ofAtlantic Ocean where they form large schools. They have a pointed snout, short jaw and a silvery stripe along their side which, with age, tends to disappear.
Anchovy trade
These fish, caught all year round, are one of the species most important in the Mediterranean (in terms of biomass of commercial interest) and they come sold and exported both fresh and processed. We can find them in salt, in oil, marinated, preserved in glass jars or tin containers.
There France and the Scandinavia they are among the most important producers and consumers of fermented products in Europe. The tidbits for example, it is a typical Scandinavian dish made by canning and bottling cleaned and filleted fish with vinegar, sugar and spices. In France a simple but very tasty delicacy is la marination some filleted anchovies in salt, pressed and left to mature for several months, as well as the piss ita fish-based sauce (Engraulis sp.).
