Anchovy paste is afish paste food product prepared usinganchovies as a primary ingredient.[1] It is used as acondiment and as an ingredient in various dishes, such asScotch woodcock, and is amass-produced product. It has been used for centuries to provide flavor to foods and as a source of nutrients, and it is a part of the cuisines of Great Britain, Italy, the Philippines and Vietnam. It is a major export product of Morocco.
Anchovy is used as a condiment and as an ingredient in various dishes.[1][2] Basic ingredients in its preparation include mashed anchovies, vinegar, spices and water, and some commercial preparations are produced using these ingredients.[3] Butter is also sometimes used as a base ingredient, and the resultant product is sometimes referred to as "anchovy butter", and in French asbeurre d'anchois.[1][4][5][6]
Anchovy paste has been used for centuries as a source of nutrients and to provide flavour to foods.[6][7]Allec, a food byproduct used as a condiment that dates to the times ofclassical antiquity andAncient Rome, is the paste left over from the preparation of liquamen (a predecessor togarum prepared using various oily fish, including anchovies) that has been described as a "precursor to anchovy paste".[8][9][10][11][12] Anchovy paste has also been described as a "descendant of garum".[13]
Anchovy paste ismass-produced, and is sometimes produced using leftover anchovies from anchovy packing facilities that are processed, mixed with additional ingredients, and packaged into tubes.[2] Around the early 1900s, food colouring was sometimes used in commercial preparations of the paste.[14] Today, anchovy paste is a major export product of Morocco.[13]
Uses of anchovy paste include a condiment or ingredient in egg dishes and on toast.[17] It can be used as an ingredient in somehors d'oeuvre.[1] Anchovy paste is a common food in Italy, where it is used served atopcanapés and vegetables and as an ingredient in sauces and pasta dishes.[18] It is also a part of the cuisine of the Philippines, where it is referred to asbagoong balayan, and of Vietnam, where it is referred to asmam nem.[19][20][21] Anchovy paste can be used as an ingredient in the preparation ofanchovy sauce.[22]
Scotch woodcock is a British savoury dish prepared using scrambled eggs atop toast that has been spread with anchovy paste or Gentleman's Relish.[1][23][24][25] Whole anchovies are also sometimes used in the dish.[26]
Bigoli in salsa (bigoli with anchovy sauce) at a restaurant in Venice, Italy
Scotch woodcock garnished with anchovy fillets and parsley. The anchovy paste is beneath the anchovy fillets.