The European anchovy is often called anchovy. This is a schooling fish of small size, which has fatty meat with excellent taste. It is perfect for pickling. This commercial fish species belongs to the Herring order. Hamsa has become widespread throughout the world. In particular, it is found in large quantities in the Black and Azov Seas.
Description of the fish
In accordance with the international classification, anchovy belongs to the Anchovy family. Moreover, its specific name sounds like “European anchovy”.In Latin this fish is called “Engraulis encrasicolus”, and in Turkey it is called “xamsy”.
Appearance Features
Hamsa is a small fish, the length of which does not exceed 20 centimeters. The average size is 10-15 centimeters. This fish is characterized by a silver-green color. The sides have a silvery tint, and the belly is white. The back is dark green.
This fish is characterized by an elongated body with easily falling scales. The European anchovy has a small head and a large mouth. In this case, the upper jaw protrudes noticeably forward. The mouth opening is quite wide. Anchovy is characterized by the presence of small teeth. The film-covered eyes are large in size. They are located at the end of the snout.
The dorsal fin includes 15 rays, the anal fin - 20, and the ventral fins - 7. The anchovy ridge includes up to 50 vertebrae. At the same time, she has no lateral line.
Experts identify several varieties of the Anchovy family, which differ from each other in habitat and size. These include the following:
- Black Sea - considered the most common variety of anchovy. The body length of such individuals is 12 centimeters. This fish lives in the Black Sea, preferring warm coastal areas.
- Azov - as the name suggests, this species lives in the Sea of Azov. This fish is lighter and smaller than other species. It also has a popular name – “grayback”.
- Atlantic - considered the largest species of anchovy. The length of these individuals reaches 22 centimeters. This fish is considered the leader of the commercial catch. Recently, 90% comes from Peruvian anchovies.
The European anchovy is often confused with small individuals of other orders - in particular, smelt and sprat.To distinguish anchovy from other fish, it is recommended to focus on the following signs:
- length does not exceed 22 centimeters;
- has no ventral carina and lateral line;
- distinguished by an elongated body;
- has a greenish back with a black tint;
- has no scales on the head;
- distinguished by a very large mouth with a protruding upper jaw;
- has large eyes.
Where does the anchovy live?
The European anchovy originally lived in the Mediterranean Sea. Currently, its habitat extends from the Atlantic coast of Western Europe to the southern part of Norway and South Africa. In winter, small numbers of anchovy are found near the south coast of England. It can also be seen in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia and in the Suez Canal.
The western part of its habitat runs in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean - from the Canary Islands to St. Helena. The European anchovy also lives in the Black and Azov Seas. There it is called anchovy or greyback. In rare cases, these individuals appear in the Baltic Sea.
The fish is considered to be very heat-loving, so it feels comfortable at temperatures of +12-18 degrees. The European anchovy tries to avoid extremely cold waters. The fish is found in areas where the water temperature varies from +5 to +28 degrees.
Nutrition
The European anchovy is found in areas where small crustaceans predominate. It primarily feeds on copepods. To a lesser extent, anchovy eats mysids, phytoplankton and polychaete worms. The larvae of these individuals feed on young planktonic crustaceans.
Hamsa competes for food with other fish and jellyfish. In the Azov Sea it fights for food with stickleback and sprat, and in the Black Sea with sprat, mackerel and mackerel.
Reproduction and spawning
Every year, anchovies begin their migration. They leave wintering areas and move to feeding areas and spawning grounds. In summer, these fish move to the northern regions, entering surface waters. With the arrival of winter, they move southward, sinking deeper.
Spawning begins in mid-spring and lasts until mid-autumn. Its peak occurs during the warmest time of the year. Sexual maturity of anchovies occurs as early as 1 year. Moreover, their average life expectancy is 3-4 years.
The optimal water temperature for breeding anchovy is +18-26 degrees. At the same time, anchovies spawn and fertilize eggs at night. This happens in portions - usually 2-3 times. The eggs are considered pelagic. This means that it looks like an ellipse and is almost transparent. There is no fat drop. The eggs are characterized by a high degree of buoyancy. This is due to the high water content in the yolk. This parameter exceeds 90%.
The eggs reach 1.5 millimeters in transverse diameter, and 1 millimeter in longitudinal diameter. Their development occurs at a temperature of +22-23 degrees for 1.5 days. Just before hatching, the size of the larvae is 2 millimeters. The maximum growth rate of anchovies is observed during the first year of life. But during the first 2 years, individuals often die because they cannot survive the winter.
Benefits for people
Hamsa is a dietary product, since 100 grams of fish contain no more than 88 kilocalories. At the same time, in terms of protein content, the European anchovy is considered similar to meat. In addition, fish contains a record amount of fat. In autumn their share reaches 30%.Despite the fact that many consider anchovy to be a fatty product, it is worth noting that all the fats it contains are considered incredibly healthy polyunsaturated omega acids.
European anchovy is rich in valuable components. It contains calcium and phosphorus, which is easily absorbed. Fish also contains fluorine, zinc, and nickel. It also contains iodine, sulfur, iron, and molybdenum. In addition, anchovy is rich in unique amino acids. Among them, it is worth highlighting tryptophan, lysine, taurine, and methionine.
One serving of this fish contains almost everything that should be included in a person’s daily diet. Thanks to this, anchovy brings great health benefits:
- The high content of phosphorus and calcium helps strengthen bone and muscle tissue. These substances have a beneficial effect on the condition of nails, hair and teeth.
- The presence of vitamin F in meat improves the appearance of the skin and reduces the risk of allergic reactions.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are part of anchovy, reduce the risk of blood clots and improve blood flow in the brain. These substances help prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis, angina pectoris and other pathologies of the heart and blood vessels.
- The high iodine content helps restore the functioning of the thyroid gland.
- Fat-soluble vitamins have a beneficial effect on the appearance of the skin of the face and body.
- The high content of protein components in fish helps to achieve satiety. Thanks to this composition, anchovy can become a substitute for meat on a diet.
- Zinc and essential amino acids help improve the functioning of the reproductive system in men.
- Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids activate processes that occur in the brain and help improve memory.
Fishing Features
This fish is considered a widely fished object.Anchovy is caught using purse seines. To a lesser extent, fixed seines are used for catching anchovy. In the Mediterranean Sea, the European anchovy is caught mainly in the summer.
Extinction status
This fish is extremely useful, and therefore it is considered the object of attention of many fishermen. Overfishing of anchovy has led to the development of certain regulations that help control the harvest of the European anchovy. These regulations contain restrictions on the number of fish that can be caught, restrictions on the size of the net, and seasonal bans to protect spawning fish. This helps restore the dwindling anchovy population.
About fish meat
The European anchovy has very tender meat of a light pink hue, which has a slightly bitter taste. This fish is small in size, so it can be eaten whole. Hamsa has small and soft bones, so you can eat the fish without fear. In addition, it brings great health benefits. It is in the bones and skin of anchovy that the maximum amount of phosphorus and calcium is present.
This fish has become widespread. European anchovy is high in fat and has an intense salty taste. Some people even consume it raw. Hamsa is sold fresh, smoked, dried, salted. It also comes canned and frozen. In addition, European anchovy is processed into fish oil and flour.
The advantage of anchovy is that it is well stored. Thanks to this, it is quite possible to transport fish over considerable distances. In addition, anchovies are actively used as fishing bait.
Dishes with the addition of this fish are found in the cuisines of various countries around the world:
- In the UK there is a well-known Worcestershire sauce. It was invented in 1837 based on Indian sauce. At the same time, it seemed that the product had a bad smell, and therefore it was put in a jar. Only years later they looked there and discovered a sauce with an unusual aroma and pleasant taste. It was possible to establish that it was anchovies that imparted this taste and smell to the products.
- In Spain, this fish is added to pies.
- In Italy, there is the famous “Four Seasons” pizza with the addition of anchovies.
- In Sweden, anchovies are considered an essential ingredient in potato casserole.
- In the USA, this fish is added to sandwiches. Also, the well-known Caesar salad cannot do without it.
- In Bulgaria, fried anchovy is on the menu of many beer bars.
- In Holland, anchovies are salted according to a special recipe. In this case, the head must be removed, which helps get rid of bitterness.
Anchovies are used as a stuffing for olives. They are added to pasta and used to prepare delicate pates. In addition, anchovy is often served marinated, salted and fried.
Interesting Facts
There are many interesting facts associated with this fish:
- Hamsa has been known to people since time immemorial. Ancient peoples compared fish with bread in value.
- In the nineteenth century, Balaklava Bay was flooded with an incredibly large number of anchovy. There were so many fish that they completely covered the sea.
- In Greece, the Mediterranean anchovy accounts for a tenth of the annual fish catch.
- One of the Georgian ethnic groups makes jam from lemons and anchovies, which is their national dish.
- In Ancient Greece, people made huge profits from selling this fish. This is evidenced by the records of the poet Archestratus and the historian Strabo.In addition, scientists managed to find coins that depict the profile of an anchovy.
- Since ancient times, there has been a description of fish sauce prepared on the basis of anchovy. This product was called "garum". To prepare it, the fish was salted, crushed and mixed with spices. Salt and pepper were also added to the composition. Finally, the sauce was seasoned with wine and olive oil.
- In Chersonesus and Olbia, archaeologists managed to find giant vats intended for salting anchovy.
- During long-term storage, anchovies not only retain their taste, but also improve them.
The European anchovy is a common fish that has excellent taste and brings great health benefits. It is important to take into account that anchovy has characteristic features that make it possible to distinguish it from its counterparts.
