Emilia-Romagna

An inland region that became, improbably, the capital of Italian anchovy processing. The city of Parma, far from the sea but a historic hub for canning and food processing, is home to a cluster of anchovy houses that together account for the majority of Italy's output. Rizzoli Emanuelli, founded in 1906, is the oldest, famous for its anchovies in spicy sauce in an iconic gold tin; Delicius and L'Isola d'Oro are also based here. Anchovies are salt-cured near the coast and finished in Parma, while the Adriatic ports of the Romagna coast add their own fishing tradition.