A small poor fish but rich in flavor and extremely versatile. We’re talking about anchovies, which can never be too far from our tables at Christmas. Why? Here are at least 4 reasons why.
Why anchovies are a must-have at Christmas
1. Anchovies make Christmas immediately. As tradition has it in many homes on Christmas Eve fish is eaten for dinner. Compared to lobster and caviar, although anchovies cost much less, they are no less tasty. You will not make a bad impression.
2. Anchovies are an ingredient of many traditional festive dishes: peppers in bagna cauda, a prevalent appetizer on tables in Piedmont at Christmas, bigoli in anchovy sauce in Veneto, anchovy pie and pappa al pomodoro which in Tuscany has always been a gastronomic symbol of Christmas Eve, as well as being an easy and quick appetizer to prepare. Furthermore, squid stuffed with escarole and anchovies in Campania, and pasta "ammuddicata" with anchovies and breadcrumbs enjoyed on Christmas Eve in Sicily.
3. Anchovies are good for your health. Eating them has several benefits: "Anchovies offer a significant protein intake”, explains Prof. Pietro Migliaccio, Honorary President of SISA (Italian Society of Food Science), “providing 26 g of noble proteins for every 100 g of product. They are also rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and many other nutrients essential for multiple biological functions". He adds, "Anchovies in oil have a higher content of omega 3, a good 11 grams per cent, because in addition to the fatty acids present in the fish they’re added to the oil”.
4. Anchovies have lived in our seas and been eaten since ancient times. Why relinquish? There are indications that in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece anchovies were already preserved in salt: the Greek historian Herodotus in the fourth century B.C. advised they be eaten instead of meat, fresh or preserved. The Romans used garum, a famous condiment derived from fish entrails. Apicius included anchovies among the ingredients of patrician cuisine, together with other salted fish (tuna, mackerel, sea urchins, mullets...) that were widely consumed, probably more than today.