Genuine anchovy

The small sea fish anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus) is fished mainly for the canning industry. Rarely available fresh, it is usually sold salted and canned or bottled in oil or brine. Canned or bottled anchovy fillets are used in many dishes, especially in the regions of southern France.

Picture on top left: Italian brand of anchovy fillets bottled in oil.
Picture on top right: anchovy fillets.

Swedish anchovies

In Scandinavia, types of Swedish sprat fillets canned in sugar and spice brine are used to flavour many local dishes, like the Swedish potato gratin dish Jansson's temptation.

Picture on right: Swedish anchovies (sprat fillets) canned in spiced brine.

These fillets are called anchovies in Sweden and Finland alike, although they are prepared from a small sardine-like fish sprat (Sprattus sprattus) and not from the genuine anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus).

Swedish canned sprat fillets have a distinctive flavour (eg sugar, cinnamon, sandalwood and ginger is used to spice the brine), and their taste differs greatly from that of real anchovy fillets. This is an important fact to know when preparing original Swedish or Finnish dishes that call for anchovies to be used, thus meaning Swedish canned sprats.

Picture on right: Swedish canned anchovies (sprats).