A wealth of traditions
H2: Anchovy fishing
Have you ever heard of Menaica anchovies? They’re not named after a place, but a type of net used to catch anchovies in Marina di Pisciotta. Curious?
Just a short distance from our hotel in Campania, in the Cilento region, you’ll find Marina di Pisciotta, a village with two hundred inhabitants who uphold an ancient tradition: anchovy fishing. The fisherfolk used to head out to sea in their boats at night and use nets known as menaica or menaide, the same kind used by the Greeks to catch anchovies. Fishing took place on the calm seas from April to July – immediately after the cuttlefish season – and in the evening, when the shoal swims towards the setting sun. What’s so special about these anchovies isn’t so much their size or quality, but the fact that the fishers clean them directly in the boat, without using ice to preserve them. The freshly caught and cleaned fish is excellent to eat raw, and the fishers of Pisciotta have dubbed it the “salad of the sea”. This is just one of the many traditions that can be experienced in the Cilento region, where every village, every beach, and every cave has a story to tell. We have one to tell you, too, and it starts right here in Palinuro.
Have you ever heard of Menaica anchovies? They’re not named after a place, but a type of net used to catch anchovies in Marina di Pisciotta. Curious?
Just a short distance from our hotel in Campania, in the Cilento region, you’ll find Marina di Pisciotta, a village with two hundred inhabitants who uphold an ancient tradition: anchovy fishing. The fisherfolk used to head out to sea in their boats at night and use nets known as menaica or menaide, the same kind used by the Greeks to catch anchovies. Fishing took place on the calm seas from April to July – immediately after the cuttlefish season – and in the evening, when the shoal swims towards the setting sun. What’s so special about these anchovies isn’t so much their size or quality, but the fact that the fishers clean them directly in the boat, without using ice to preserve them. The freshly caught and cleaned fish is excellent to eat raw, and the fishers of Pisciotta have dubbed it the “salad of the sea”. This is just one of the many traditions that can be experienced in the Cilento region, where every village, every beach, and every cave has a story to tell. We have one to tell you, too, and it starts right here in Palinuro.
