Colatura di alici di Cetara

Appearance & taste

The liquid is clear and glossy, amber-coloured with a tendency towards mahogany brown. Its strong, long-lasting smell recalls fresh and salted anchovies and brine. The taste is strong and very savoury, an umami taste that comes from anchovies and salt. 100 g contain at least 20 g of salt, at least 8 g of protein and up to 3 g of fat; the fat comes from the breakdown of cells during ripening.

The sauce is sold in clear glass containers of 50 to 1,000 ml. The label states whether it was ripened in a vat or in a barrel; if it has also been aged, “invecchiata” (aged) may be stated together with the duration in months or years. The logo shows a wooden barrel in which the tower of Cetara can be made out, and in front of it an anchovy with a falling drop.

Production

The anchovies are caught in the Gulf of Salerno at most twelve miles off the coast at depths of 50 to 200 m. Immediately after the catch they are headed and gutted by hand, so that the head and innards are removed completely. According to the specification, this improves the smell and taste and avoids a bitter aftertaste; in addition, the fish do not have to be chilled or frozen for hours.

They are then layered by hand in wooden barrels or vats, alternating with medium-coarse or coarse sea salt, packed tightly and completely covered with salt so that no air bubbles cause oxidation. A disc with weights on top provides the necessary pressure. While the anchovies ripen in the salt, the smell and taste of the liquid develop, and the liquid is finally collected. Processing, ripening, ageing and collecting take place in businesses in the province of Salerno; ageing and collecting are also allowed in restaurants and other food-service businesses in Cetara.

Origin & history

To the north the area is bounded by the Monti Lattari, the backbone of the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Coast, with heights of over 1,400 m; to the south it includes the coast of the Cilento. Just a few miles off the coast the sea becomes very deep. According to the specification, the water is very salty at around 38 ‰ and poor in phytoplankton, so the anchovies grow more slowly and have less fat; this improves the taste and reduces the risk of them turning rancid during ripening.

Anchovy fishing has a long tradition in many coastal towns of the province of Salerno. The skill in cleaning and salting, above all of the women, developed first in fishing families, then in small and later in medium-sized businesses, where production is still largely by hand today. For centuries the colatura was only common on the Amalfi Coast, above all in the fishing village of Cetara, where it is traditionally used at Christmas to season long pasta such as spaghetti and linguine. It has been traded since the mid-1980s, first on the local market and later on a larger scale.