Hamsa fish

Hamsa fish or otherwise European anchovy belongs to one of the 8 known varieties of anchovies. This flock coastal fish, as a rule, inhabits the water area of ​ ​ the eastern Atlantic Ocean. In addition, hamsa fish live in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and in the warm season it often enters the North, Azov and Baltic Seas.

Externally, the hamsa fish is a small low-bodied fish no more than 20 centimeters long, although even much smaller individuals are found - up to 15 centimeters. The color of the back of this fish varies from blue-green to black-gray, and the sides of the hamsa differ in white-silver color. A longitudinal strip of metallic gloss can be observed along them.

With hamsa fish, humanity is familiar from ancient times - even the Romans and Greeks bought this fish from Crimean fishermen at the beginning of our era. According to the ancient Greek historian and geographer Strabo, hamsa fish was valued very highly and was the second profitable commodity of foreign trade after bread. And today, archaeologists during excavations find sinkers from nets on the Crimean coast, with the help of which hamsa was previously caught, as well as vats in which this fish was salted.

The ancient Romans and Greeks adored delicate delicious meat and a peculiar taste of hamsa fish, which is characterized by light mustard. In ancient times, it was mainly customary to grease it, after which to use it as food or even cook hot and sour garum sauce based on it. The calorie content of hamsa is about 88 kcal per hundred grams of fresh meat.

Today, hamsa fish has won wide love among consumers not only due to its high taste, but also accessibility. In our time, it still remains an important object of active fishing. Hamsa fish is sold mainly in salted form, although sometimes you can find a freshly frozen version. Pate and stew are made from this fish, they add it to pilaf and salads. Olives are often stuffed with hamsoy, and in Italian cuisine they make a very tasty and fragrant paste.

The benefits of hamsa

Hamsa fish is considered a fish delicacy - it can be consumed whole with small bones without fear. Moreover, it is believed that this is the benefit of hamsa for human health, in particular, its bone tissues. This small fish is an excellent product for people of different ages, because it contains a highly valuable protein, and in terms of nutrition, hamsa is in no way inferior to meat. In addition, the useful properties of hamsa are due to the presence of vitamin PP and a number of trace elements (zinc, chromium, fluorine, nickel and molybdenum).

The benefits of hamsa are also obvious due to the content of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These substances in the composition of fish contribute to reducing the level of bad cholesterol, as well as prevent the formation of blood clots, improving the lipid profile. Another magical effect of Omega-3 acids is the ability to prevent malignancies and significantly slow down the process that has already begun.