Why anchovies on pizza

Deboning an anchovy is a time-intensive process that requires fine motor work to prevent the snapping of the bones or any cuts from a slip with the knife on such a small fish. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions you might have about the anchovies on your pizza. While very similar in size and appearance, anchovies and sardines are actually completely different fish. A sardine is closer in relationship to a herring than an anchovy and comes from the Mediterranean.

An anchovy, on the other hand, is abundantly found near Scandinavia as well. Sardines are larger, averaging upwards of eight inches long, and have lighter flesh and lower jaws. Anchovies are smaller and have reddish-grey flesh and a more intense flavor. Anchovies go well with pizza, while sardines do not. They are very healthy to eat! Anchovies are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help regulate cholesterol levels.

Unlike larger fish, anchovies do not live long enough or grow big enough to have significant levels of mercury. Though, eating them raw may make you ill if they come from a region prone to parasitic infections in fish. The price of anchovies has leaped up in recent years for a couple of reasons. Being low down on the food chain means anchovies require little energy to survive. For that reason, they tend to be more sustainable than their bigger relatives. So, who introduced anchovy pizza?

History has it that around the 16th century, middle-class people from Naples, Italy, used anchovies as a traditional topping on their pizza. They even reared them because they have the lowest greenhouse emissions. To prevent their pungent salty taste, Italians combined the anchovies with cheese and tomatoes to create a Neapolitan pizza. Anchovies have become a common choice for sauces, rubs, and dressings. They add amazing flavor to your pie.

You can only find fresh ones in some parts of Europe, especially around the Mediterranean Sea or the English Channel. The good news is, you can cure anchovies in salt and use them as an alternative to fresh anchovies. Usually, salt curing has no impact on the taste of fish.

It would also be best if you chose the right ingredients to accentuate the flavor of the fish. This is because the anchovies have a rich flavor, and using an equally rich sauce could make the dish overly rich. I recommend using a mild tomato-based sauce as it goes well with the anchovies. Italians have a history of putting fish on bread that dates back at least 2, years. The ancient Romans used a condiment known as "garum," which consisted of fermented fish parts, and ate it with flatbread.

When pizza was initially developed in Naples in the late s, one of the first pies featured anchovies and tomatoes. Due to their preservation in oil and salt, anchovies had a long shelf life. Since they were plentiful and affordable, they became popular toppings offered by restaurants.

When Italian immigrants arrived in the United States at the end of the 19th century, Neapolitan bakers sold pizza to factory workers, which is how this dish rose in popularity. Save for Dr. Zoidberg, that is. Naturally, this could all only end in one way. I had to eat an anchovy pizza and know for myself. Would it be gross? Would I understand why anchovies had such a bad, laughable reputation? Or would I zig where most zag, and become an anchovy advocate?

Photo by Chris Morgan. Those spoonfuls of salt were only slightly saltier than this anchovy pizza. The second I bit into that pizza all I could taste was salt—then I was hit with a fishy aftertaste.