What's this
What is anchovy sauce?
Anchovy is a food seasoning. That of Cetara - province of Salerno, in the Amalfi coast, Campania region - enjoys the recognition of Traditional Agri-food Product (PAT).
Anchovy pouring is liquid, slightly viscous or oily. The color is amber, almost reddish - similar to chilli pepper or maple syrup oil. It is produced, in fact, by brining the brine used during the processing of preserved anchovies. More precisely, they are caught fish - during the period of reproduction - immediately below the coast between mid-spring and early summer; the colatura has a processing of about 6-7 months and is ready in the Christmas period.
The garum, a similar recipe, was already in use in Roman times. Traces of anchovy dripping can be identified as early as the Middle Ages, when the monks used to keep the fish in salt barrels - mbuosti - collecting what came out of the cracks.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of anchovy colatura
Anchovy colatura is a condiment that does not have a real framework in the VII fundamental food groups. It contains mainly water, sea salt and fluids from anchovy meat.
The anchovy sauce should not have a considerable energy supply, far from it. Nevertheless, the caloric density of the food seems very different from one label to another (from 100 kcal / 100 g to 200 kcal / 100 g of edible portion). The differences in energy terms are even 100%.
The osmotic power of salt has the sole effect of extracting water and certain minerals from the tissues of fish. Amino acids and vitamins, having larger dimensions, do not pass passively the membranes thus remaining inside the cells. Furthermore, lipids are not soluble in water - but in fatty acids and solvents, not present in anchovy colatura - which is why they are not distributed effectively in the surrounding liquid. Although limited, there is still a certain degree of cellular rupture due to the processing of the fish - evisceration, decapitation, pressing - which determines a limited distribution of the cytoplasmic content. For these reasons, the anchoring of anchovies contains only traces of: amino acids, fatty acids, cholesterol and vitamins, both water-soluble and fat-soluble. Glucides - even lactose - fiber and gluten are completely absent.
Some argue that the casting of anchovies has an excellent lipid profile. However, it must be considered that, if it is true that these blue fish contain more unsaturated chains than saturated ones, it is equally true that their concentration in the dripping of anchovies is so low as to be irrelevant. Moreover, given that polyunsaturated fatty acids are sensitive to oxidation, light and heat, it is conceivable that the percentage of intact omega-3 chains - fatty acids beneficial to the body - is very limited in the dripping of anchovies. .
The anchovy sauce is rich in sodium, coming from brine based on sea salt. Due to the osmotic effect, concentration gradient and cellular breakdown mentioned above, it is logical to deduce that in the anchovy sauce is also a modest amount of potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, iodine and other minerals. Once again, however, their quantity is not considerable.
The anchovy straining could instead contain histamine, formed during the seasoning of the anchovies and the surrounding liquid. The quantity of purines, abundant in anchovies, should be contained in the pouring.
Diet
Colatura of anchovies in the diet
Anchovy colatura is a food that does not lend itself to all nutritional regimes. While not having contraindications for the diet of overweight and obesity - as long as it is used as a condiment, that is in quantities of 5-10 g at a time - it is instead not recommended in a series of both metabolic and digestive disorders.
The anchoring of anchovies, due to the high concentration of sodium, must absolutely be avoided in preventive and therapeutic nutritional therapy towards primary sodium sensitive hypertension. It should be emphasized, however, that the amount of anchovy pouring per serving, even considering the low frequency of consumption, is so low that it has a relatively low impact on the dietary sodium balance. For a person who scrupulously respects the doctor's instructions - DASH diet - it would therefore be sufficient, in order to balance the sodium concentration in the diet, to insert the anchovy sauce in a menu without salty foods. The high concentration of sodium can also harm the stomach. Having a particularly osmotic and dehydrating effect, anchovy straining can irritate the mucosa worsening conditions such as gastritis and peptic ulcer.
Let us not forget then that a diet rich in salt is associated, statistically, with greater probabilities of: overweight, various metabolic pathologies, relative complications, serious diseases of the stomach and intestines.
Leaking is logically to be avoided in the event of an allergy to anchovies. Moreover, due to the probable presence of histamine, it is advisable not to include it in the diet menu against the relative food intolerance.
Anchovy strain has no contraindications for celiac disease and lactose intolerance. Although, unlike the anchovies themselves, the pouring should not contain high percentages of purines, in case of hyperuricemia it is however good practice to avoid or limit their consumption.
The anchovy sauce is to be avoided in the case of a vegetarian and vegan diet.
The frequency of consumption of anchovy sauce is sporadic, one-off, while the average portion corresponds to 5-10 g (about 5-20 kcal).
Kitchen
Pouring anchovies in the kitchen
Anchovy sauce is a very savory and tasty ingredient; as we have said, in the Campanian kitchen it takes on the role of condiment. It has the typical characteristics of blue fish and for this reason it is often used to enrich seafood dishes or simple recipes - as is done with bottarga.
The anchovy sauce goes perfectly with extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, olives, capers, chilli, garlic, oregano and other spices. It is excellent for seasoning pasta (semolina), generally long - spaghetti or linguine - or to flavor pan-fried vegetables - for example, endive for stuffed pizza, chard or sautéed spinach. Egg recipes are traditionally enriched with anchovy colatura.
Production
How do you drain anchovies?
The preparation of anchovy sauce is closely related to that of salted anchovies. After fishing in the period of March-July, the fish must be gutted, beheaded and placed under sea salt for about a day. Afterwards, they are transferred into wooden barrels - chestnut or oak - layered with more salt. They are then pressed with a ballast disc which, over time, allows the brine to emerge from the anchovies. This is then collected in glass jars and exposed to sunlight which increases its concentration by evaporation. After four or five months, in autumn, the matrix is poured back into the barrels of the anchovies through a small hole above the containers. After about a month, the casting is removed and filtered with linen sheets.
