Cetara Anchovies "Colatura" • Large size

From Garum to modern Cetara anchovy sauce

The recipe for anchovy sauce, always present in culinary tradition, was briefly described by Pliny and Horace and known as Garum. In the Middle Ages, a group of monks from Cetara recovered the ancient process. In 1807, the Franciscan friar Nicola Colummella Onorati created a document to codify "all useful practices for managing the domestic affairs of coastal towns", thus creating the recipe for anchovy sauce. Like many recipes that are now part of gourmet cuisine, the sauce originated as a poor product, being a surrogate for fresh fish, to be used in the winter months when fishing was scarce and difficult.

The processing and maturation, a long refinement technique

The anchovies are placed in a small barrel, the terzigno, and arranged with the classic 'head-tail' technique in alternating layers of salt and pressed by a wooden disc on which weights are placed. The liquid secreted by the anchovies during maturation begins to rise to the surface, collected in large glass bottles and exposed to the sun for about four or five months, so that the water evaporates and the concentration increases. By the end of October and the beginning of November, everything is ready for the last phase, tapping, which usually takes at least 3 years. The collected liquid is poured back into the terzigno where the anchovies have been maturing, slowly filtering through the various layers of fish, collecting the best of their organoleptic characteristics. The liquid recovered through a specially made hole in the terzigno is transferred to another container and filtered using linen cloths, called cappucci. The final result is a clear distillate of deep amber color, almost mahogany, with a strong and full-bodied flavor. To preserve these techniques and certify the uniqueness of the product, in October 2020, Cetara anchovy sauce was officially recognized with the DOP mark. The sauce is the traditional seasoning for clam spaghetti, as well as bruschetta, Christmas broccoli, and boiled or grilled vegetables.