They had stayed only 6 families with five six small boats, in a remote village of 200 souls, Marina di Pisciotta, on the Cilento coast, stubbornly wanting to keep alive a tradition of the fathers, of the grandparents, which was lost in the memories of the village elders, fishing with the Menaica.
And perhaps we wouldn't be here talking about it today if Carlo Petrini, sociologist, writer, gastronome and above all founder of Slow Food, always on the lookout for small mines of gastronomic culture scattered and - unrecognized - throughout Italy, hadn't happened by chance, in this small fishing village, to eat at the restaurant "A Tartana" then run by a lover of Cilento cuisine, Donatella Marino and her husband Vittorio Rambaldo who, in truth, devoted himself to the restaurant in his spare time when he was not intent on fishing . At Petrini, Donatella thought of presenting a dish of anchovies from Menaica, a derivation from Menaide, an ancient name that has Greek assonances and not by chance. Why Menaide/Menaica was a small fishing boat widespread since the dawn of time, which crossed the Mediterranean in the spring months, looking for anchovies, then abandoned due to low profitability, in the face of the much more important yields ensured by modern fishing boats. Some of them had been saved in Marina di Pisciotta, and on the principle that “i' viecchi ne sapi'ano cchiu' di nui” (The elderly knew more than us) they had proudly defied the times and the big fishing boats, because the taste of those anchovies, caught with a special net, also this ancient one, which had taken the name of the boat, Menaica, no one could beat it.
When Petrini found himself in front of this dishes of anchovies, fleshy, with white-pink flesh, with an intense aroma of the sea, with the most delicate flavor possible, while maintaining its sapidity, he was dumbfounded. And he asked where they came from. The answer was simple and immediate: we fish them here in front of our sea in the months from March to June-July when the fish start to spawn. The boats leave at dusk, exclusively on calm sea days, around seven, when the plankton rises and the fish follow it to feed. And here the type of net comes into play, the Menaica which also gives its name to the anchovies. “The Menaica is a large mesh net where the anchovies go in with their heads - explains Vittorio Rambaldo, who at 58 is still practicing the trade with this ancient system - the larger anchovies, which have already reproduced, remain imbroccated, i.e. stuck with their heads in the mesh of the net . In an attempt to free themselves, they wriggle, writhe, injure themselves and bleed. We take care to immediately throw the nets on board as soon as we find the herd ea pull them out of the meshes of the net, one by one, to escape them, i.e. to remove the head and entrails. The operation is important, for all the blood to flow out. This is the only way our anchovies maintain the sweetness that everyone envies us because the blood does not oxidize and therefore does not turn sour”.
The problem of oxidation produced by fish blood is not trivial. Behind the processing of products subjected to seasoning, fermentation, maturation or prolonged storage in the warehouse, not only fish but also cheeses, sausages and more, lurk bacteria that can prove to be sources of allergies. Above all, it is necessary to avoid the production of histamine which can give rise to real poisoning. For this reason, compliance with strict processing and storage measures is essential. The leakage of blood from the meat of the anchovies of Menaica, reducing the dangers of oxidation, minimizes this risk to the point that the inhabitants of the village of Pisciotta eat the anchovies raw, they call it "seafood salad", without blasting them. And they are proud to point out: “sushi? We had already invented it long before it was fashionable in Italian restaurants.
But fishing with Menaica has not only organoleptic or healthy aspects. In reality, the use of large mesh networks has a fundamental function from the point of view of environmental sustainability. As Vittorio explained, the Menaica anchovies are fished only in spring three or four miles off the coast of Pisciotta. When the school is identified, the nets are thrown away but, contrary to what the large fishing boats do which surround the entire school by doing purse seine fishing without distinction and catching everything that happens inside, the Menaica nets put to sea by the small boats of Pisciotta manage to bring on board only 10-15 percent of the herd, while the smaller anchovies, and what in dialect are called cicinielli, juveniles, pass through the large meshes and can continue to live and grow. This safeguards the herd and allows it to repopulate. As soon as they are caught, the anchovies are rinsed in brine to remove any residual blood and placed in wooden boxes just long enough to take them to shore. The use of ice and refrigerants used by large fishing vessels which blocks the blood in the meat is strictly prohibited, the product must be processed in absolute freshness. And this happens on the ground when the anchovies are arranged, according to the law, in terracotta pots mixed with alternating layers of salt for the seasoning, which goes from three months upwards, and in natural, fresh environments, maintaining their humidity.
Listening to these fascinating stories from Pisciotta fishermen, one can well understand why fishing with the Menaica has been abandoned by all fishermen: it is very tiring, it requires attention and constant work. Above all, it is unprofitable. A night of fishing can yield, if you are lucky, 100 kilos of fish, on average it ensures 30-40 kilos, but there are bad days when the Menaica comes back on board half empty. While the large offshore fishing boats with their purse seine nets pull up tons of fish, large and small, causing considerable damage to the biodiversity balance of this sea which can offer immeasurable natural heritage and support to local populations.
But let's go back to Carlo Petrini and his lunch at the A Tartana tavern. Petrini tastes these pink meats, so delicate and tasty at the same time, and realizes that he is discovering a real new cultural deposit in this beautiful part of Italy. The proposal to Donatella Marino and her husband Vittorio Rambaldo to participate in the first "Salone del Gusto" in Turin - we are in 2002 - and, consequently, also in the first "laboratory of taste" immediately started. In that venue Menaica anchovies are compared with other world producers of salted anchovies, the large public of expert tasters gets acquainted with their exceptional qualities. Everyone understands that at this point the history of this extraordinary product can be changed, which must not and cannot go extinct. Menaica Anchovies become a Slow Food Presidium which turns the spotlight on these delicious anchovies and the curiosity of gastronomes and tourists.
Donatella and Vittorio, who until then had operated according to the laws of their fathers, set up a small laboratory following the hygiene standards in force, next to the restaurant, for salting and seasoning the anchovies. In 2010, with the commitment of the ASL veterinary doctors of Villammare (SA), and the collaboration of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, a study began on Menaica anchovies which analyzed them from the moment of fishing up to a 13-month seasoning. From the analyzes that are carried out month after month, a surprising discovery emerges: the ASL veterinary surgeons ascertain that up to 13 months of salting the anchovies keep intact all the organoleptic qualities that result at the time of fishing. Business is starting to go well. In that same year, one of the ancient "magazzeni" officially became the "Alici di Menaica Artisan Workshop". Donatella and Vittorio, after 17 years, close the "A Tartana" restaurant to start an artisanal production of Menaica anchovies, leaving their children Marco and Serena to directly follow the laboratory to constantly improve the product.
Today Donatella Marino is a company that exports its products throughout Italy and even to Sweden. The opening of online sales and the Slow Food presidium have brought Menaica's anchovies to the web and into Italian homes. The danger has passed. Vittorio continues to fish at night and Donatella takes care of the production while always keeping alive the principle of respect for the old fishing and processing rules because "the old people do not know the way they do".
Donatella Marino Company – Anchovies from Menaica
84066 Marina di Pisciotta
Via Christopher Columbus
