The simple little can with the gold-colored lid. Inside: a sardine, lying in the best olive oil, as it has for a hundred years. Conservas are not emergency food – in Portugal and Spain, they are a cultural domain of their own, somewhere between craft, design, and gastronomy.
A Banca da Sardinha – Sardines as Vintage
The Portuguese manufacturer A Banca da Sardinha selects its sardines by catch year, similar to wine. Each can bears the vintage date, and each vintage tastes a little different – depending on water temperature, feed, and maturation in oil.
la belle-iloise – Conserverie since 1932
On the Breton coast, la belle-iloise has been processing mackerel, tuna, and sardines directly at the harbor since 1932. Hand-packed into cans, preserved in olive oil, white wine, or sea salt. The colorful cans are collectors' items themselves.
A good canned sardine is a ready-made dinner if bread and wine are available.
Porthos, Jose Gourmet and Olasagasti
Porthos is one of Portugal's oldest canned fish brands and stands for tuna of the highest quality. Jose Gourmet specializes in small delicacies such as octopus in olive oil, mussels with escabeche, and anchovies. Olasagasti from the Basque Country supplies Ventresca tuna, the finest part of the belly.
In this selection, you will find sardines, tuna, mackerel, mussels, octopus, and fish pâtés – all from manufacturers based on the Atlantic or Mediterranean coast.
Vendor:La Perle des Dieux
