The port of this beautiful seaside resort of Cilento is the only place where menaica anchovies are still fished and you can buy them from the fishermen who has just arrived from the sea. We are in the right period of the year because these anchovies are fished between April and July, when at dawn the boats leave the harbour and sail to the open sea to drop the “menaica” and catch the anchovies.

Menaica is the name of a particular type of net used to fish anchovies, that catches only the biggest ones and let the smallest free in order to protect the ecosystem and help their repopulation. As soon as they have been caught, they are immediately washed and taken on the shore in order not to use ice for their preservation. In that way they are always fresh and their taste doesn’t change at all.

Once arrived on the shore, fishermen’s wives put them layered with salt in the traditional terracotta jars, and then they are finally ready to be sold on the spot.

Women from Cilento cook the menaica anchovies in different ways: you cannot absolutely miss the anchovies “inchiappate” or stuffed, easy to prepare and very tasty: anchovies are fried and then cooked in the tomato sauce, stuffed with garlic, goat cheese and parsley. But the best way to try the real taste of this great product is the salad of raw anchovies, dressed only with lemon, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and parsley.

This tour in Pisciotta gave us the opportunity to take a close look to the anchovies on the fishermen’s stands who sell them at the harbour, among all the people in row to buy them. We realise that the menaica anchovies are not only tasty but also beautiful: they have a wonderful silver colour that reminds us the one of the waves hit by the sun.

They remind us the Cilento, where nature puts together the colours and the smells. It is our duty to protect them.