Colatura di Alici (di Cetara)
The Colatura di Alici di Cetara is an Italian seasoning sauce made from anchovies . It traditionally comes from the small fishing village of Cetara on the Amalfi Coast in the Campania region .
The Colatura di Alici is a salty, liquid, clear, amber-colored sauce that is created as a product of the traditional preservation and ripening of anchovies. Anchovies are fished on the Amalfi Coast between the feast of the Annunciation on March 25th and July 22nd, the feast of St. Mary Magdalene .
history
The origin of this culinary product goes back to the ancient Romans . In ancient times, they prepared a sauce very similar to colatura, which was called garum or liquamen . In the Middle Ages, this recipe was rediscovered by the monks living on the coast, who preserved the anchovies in August for the coming winter.
Manufacturing
The freshly caught anchovies are cleaned. The head is severed and the innards are removed. Then put them in containers with plenty of sea salt for 24 hours so that they lose water. They are then placed in barrels made of chestnut or oak, the so-called terzigni . Layers of salt are scattered between the layers of fish. The barrels are covered with a wooden lid and weighed down with a weight so that the anchovies are pressed. When pressed, a liquid rises, which forms the basis of the colatura. The liquid is collected in large glass bottles and placed directly in the hot sun. As the water evaporates , the sauce becomes thicker and more concentrated.
After about four to five months, i.e. between October and November, the collected liquid is again poured into the barrels with the anchovies. This slowly seeps past the anchovies, absorbs even more flavor and collects at the bottom of the barrels. Now the sauce is drained through a hole in the barrel, filtered through a linen cloth and is ready for consumption at the beginning of December. A typical dish is spaghetti or linguine, which must be cooked without salt, as the colatura is very salty. In Cetara, colatura is always eaten at Christmas .
Traditional recipe
Cook a long type of pasta such as spaghetti , linguine or tagliatelle in unsalted water. Chop the parsley, garlic and chilli very finely and season briefly and with extra virgin olive oil . Add one tablespoon of colatura per person. The pasta al dente cooking, drain and add to the bowl with the raw ingredients. Mix well and serve.
The colatura is also used to refine vegetable or fish dishes.
Individual evidence
- ^ Colatura di Alici di Cetara. ( Memento from January 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). Website of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Campania Region. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
