Another interesting adaptation of these succulent silver morsels are the outstanding Spanish White Anchovies, which are carefully cured in lemon, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. They are a superb addition to salads, used in Tapas and great just on grilled bread dressed with chopped tomato and olive oil. Spanish Anchovies have long been held in high esteem. Fat plump juicy flesh, perfect seasoning to retain the goodness, nutrition and depth of flavour. The reason they taste so good is largely due to the particular species - Engraulis Enchrasicolus - and the stringent quality controls and grading. The size of the fishis important, the health of the fish, the areas fished, the season, local weather - are all important factors to be evaluated. Then the anchovies must be aged correctly, packed by hand, stored carefully, and graded by colour, firmness and taste. Anchovies are much loved by people all over the world, and have been an important fish in many cuisines for centuries. The variety of cuisines around the world is matched by the number of species. There are over 100 species and sub-species throughout the world, and many have different flavour profiles that are suited to different culinary needs

Anchovy preservation is believed to have dated back to Roman times and the ruins near the Catalan town of La Escale in Northern Spain have unearthed ancient salting vessels and preparation areas. The knowledge is said to have been spread by the Romans throughout the Mediterranean.

There is a rich history of a famous Roman fish paste preparation called "garum" which is often referred to in history books. It was a type of fermented fish now known as Colatura di Alici from the Amalfi.

In fact, the production of salted anchovies became established along the North coast of Spain - the regions of Cantabria and the Basque Country, long after the Roman occupation of Spain, reaching its peak during the 19th century. At first, the fish were just salted, and only later were they produced in the form of small fillets in oil. The expansion in production was the result of increased catches of anchovy in the Bay of Biscay.

While the process of salting fish to preserve them has been practiced for thousands of years, preserving them in olive oil is a more recent invention. In the 1800's, a man named Vella established a preserved anchovy business on the northern Atlantic coast of Spain (where fishing has long been a major industry). He first skinned and filleted them, then salted them according to the traditional process, and packaged them in small tins. He tried preserving them in pork fat, butter and eventually olive oil, the form in which they are today most commonly found.