A distant history of Italian emigration to Spain lies behind a delicacy typical of Cantabria
Perhaps not everyone knows that Cantabrian anchovies are much more related to Italy than one might think. In fact, if over the years this product has become so precious and sought after, it is thanks to all those Italian emigrants who at the beginning of the last century brought skills, knowledge and techniques on the processing and salting of anchovies to Spain. And if today we are lucky enough to find them in Italy (only the best) it is thanks to Fenice, a small company that selects and imports them for us.
Italian emigration to Cantabria
Italian emigration to the various countries of Cantabria, a region north of Spain overlooking the Cantabrian Sea, should be taken as an example. It is in fact a relationship more than successful over time, now reached the fifth generation today. Maybe it's because it was a "technical" emigration, that is, an important transmission of knowledge? The first wave was between 1870 and early 1900, when "they began to arrive by sailboat to see if there was more fish, given that in Italy there was a fishing crisis". This is what Carmelo Brambilla, son of Enrico and grandson of Giuseppe, tells us, among the first emigrants, originating in Genoa, where they had a tuna box company. The second wave, however, was in the first post-war period, when the fishing crisis in Italy and the rumor spread that there was an abundance of fish here, especially anchovies. In particular, the Italians realized that the anchovies of those seas, if well worked, could have yielded more (think that they even used them as baits for tuna). So they started teaching some Spaniards "Italian" manufacturing techniques salted anchovies, just as it was done in ancient times. "We have a great debt to Italian emigration, because it has taught us a profession with great skill." In fact, the Italians who came here were almost all salatori, for the 65% Sicilians, from Lampedusa (where anchovy salting is still very popular and widespread), Sciacca, Syracuse, Trapani, Agrigento; only 16% of Italian migrants came from the North but always worked in the fish sector, just like Carmelo's family. He also continues: "But we too are grateful to the Spaniards, because they gave us a unique hospitality, the same that made us stay here and not return to Italy. Even if Italy remains present, in the language, in the pizzerias and in all those grandchildren who still carry Italian names, such as mine who are called Enrico, Italo, Chiara and Giulia ".
Cantabrian fishermen
This whole story has determined an unbreakable bond between anchovies and Cantabria; already a few kilometers away, in fact, on the French or Portuguese border, there is no such strong tradition. From Santander to Laredo, however, still today, not a few live on fishing: about 300 boatsall family owned, handed down from generation to generation of fishermen who would never dream of giving or exchanging. In fact, almost nobody fishing on a boat that is not his and would never do it! All are so tied to their fishing boats, which are distinguishable from afar, all cared for and different from each other, some with more traditional systems, others more modern. Since the seventies, for example, many have inserted a particular sonar that allows you to know which fish are in the sea, as well as the latest technology allows fishermen to communicate with each other simultaneously, even fifty together, making it possible to exchange information vital. And so, they have been breaking world records for three years for the quantity of fish, not only with anchovies, which are still the top product, but also with tuna, horse mackerel, mackerel and other fish. The fishing boats are united in the various ports locally, but the most important and representative point remains that of Santoña with its Brotherhood of Cantabrian anchovy producers; perhaps because the first Italians settled here.
Cantabrian anchovies
The best anchovies of the Cantabrian are those caught between April and May, maximum June, during the breeding season, when temperatures rise and the waters are warmer. They are also the most expensive, but undoubtedly they are always preferable to the summer ones, which are fatter and often more rancid. In general, the fishing period varies however according to the quotas given, with a stoppage from November to March. Afterwards, the anchovies go to work in the various companies, where they are in salt for at least 6 months, up to a maximum of 3 years, when they reach a rare perfection. Here, in small businesses, such as Revilla (among the best ever), they come work by hand one by one only for women, with an incredible meticulousness. Why only women? «Because they have a unique precision, they tell us from Revilla. The result is boxes of anchovies all perfectly equal, of the same size, with total traceability: inside each package, in fact, there is a sheet indicating the time, place and name of the lady who took care of that single processing . For this precious and rare manual work, they are anchovies that could not be more expensive than the Italian ones, so they have a cost that is around 25 euros for about 140 grams. Furthermore, unlike the Italian ones, they are sweeter, fleshy and leaner because they swim in the ocean, which is less salty and much colder than the Mediterranean, so they move constantly. This peculiarity translates into a product that in the kitchen (always unlike the Italian one) is not suitable for sauces or other types of cooking, since it does not melt or disintegrate. So the best way to fully enjoy their flavor, fishermen tell us, is alone in oil, fried or fresh with onions and peppers (which in Cantabria never fail); or as tapas on a slice of bread with a soft cheese or a little butter. They are also found already under butter, as an ancient original (Italian) recipe wants and as we find them even today in Italy.
Anchovies in Italy: La Fenice
If today we are lucky enough to have not only Cantabrian anchovies in Italy, but the absolute best that Cantabria can offer, such as those from Revilla, it is thanks to the Fenice. La Fenice was born in Bergamo in 1991, with that somewhat mythical character who was Beppi Bellavita. It was he who had the foresight to start researching, importing and distributing excellent food products for Italian restaurants, especially from Spain. Together with anchovies, in fact, the Fenice was the first to import Pata Negra into Italy, with a selection of the best out there. Ever since the company passed into the hands of those two geniuses of Ilaria Cecchini is Alberto Nava, continues the search for only the best, with continuous travel to go and observe the workmanship directly and thus guarantee a flawless product, always the best on the market. Over time they have also expanded the range: for example, the latest addition is the vaca vieja of Galicia by Luismi Garayar Oria, a grass-fed rural cow that grows freely in the countryside on the border with Portugal, then refined for 30 days. And the same goes for Cantabrian anchovies: the search for the best ever never stops, also because the sea is the first to be always on the move.
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