Colatura di Alici di Cetara
Cetara produces one of Italy's most prized pantry ingredients: colatura di alici, an amber, intensely savoury anchovy dripping aged in chestnut barrels that is the direct descendant of ancient Roman garum. A few drops transform a plate of spaghetti into something unforgettable, and the best place to taste and buy it is right here in the village where it's made.
What It Is and How It's Made
Whole anchovies are layered with sea salt in terracotta pots called terzigni, weighted with stones, and left to ferment for up to three years. The liquid that slowly drips through is colatura — concentrated umami in a bottle, with a clean, briny finish nothing like the harsh fishiness you might expect.
The tradition is so specific to Cetara that the EU granted it Protected Designation of Origin status. The annual Sagra della Colatura di Alici, held each December, celebrates the first pressing of the season with free tastings, live music and communal pasta suppers in the streets.
Where to Taste and Buy
Acquapazza restaurant (Via Garibaldi) has been the benchmark for colatura-driven cooking for decades; their spaghetti con colatura, aglio, olio e prezzemolo is the dish to order — simple, bracingly good, and made with their own-label sauce.
For bottles to take home, head to the Delfino 1942 shop on the harbour front, run by one of the oldest anchovy-processing families in town. They sell colatura by the 100 ml bottle and will vacuum-pack anchovy fillets for travel.
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