anchovies....
it's a good thing i like them cause i've been cleaning them on a daily basis lately.
i used to hate anchovies until i lived in barcelona and ate what they call boquerones, which are white and packed in oil with some herbs. they are sweet and fresh-tasting and not at all salty, more vinegary and tart. delicious. when i returned to the U.S. we were getting these same things marketed as "white anchovies." i don't remember the brand name, but they were awesome and came in a big plastic tub packed in oil.
now i'm working in italy and we get what they call alice (pronouced ah-leech-ay) which comes in fresh and we use it in pasta, deep-fry it, or use it for a bruschetta. for the bruschetta we "cook" (without heat) the alice in white vinegar for about 4 hours until they're cooked through, then keep them under oil with herbs. after tasting them, i'm sure they're the same as in barcelona, but we're just making our own.
but it gets more confusing. we also use the basic black canned anchovies (although they come in a jar here), which are called acciughe (ah-chee-ooh-gay). when i asked my chef if these were made from the same fish as the alice, he said no, like laughing at me, and telling me it would be like comparing a dog to a horse.
whatever the case....the white anchovies are worlds away from the dark ones that we usually see in a can, or on a pizza, and you should seek them out! they are fabulous just to eat straight out of the container with some bread. i know you can get them in the u.s....but it just might be a little work. but worth it.
[ February 25, 2001: Message edited by: elakin ]
