Carquín dried anchoveta

A small fish at the centre of a coastal tradition

On the central Peruvian coast, the anchoveta is a small fish with an unusually large economic and cultural importance.

The species, Engraulis ringens, lives in the cold, productive waters associated with the Humboldt Current.

Although much of Peru's enormous anchoveta catch has historically entered industrial fishmeal and fish-oil production, coastal communities also use the fish directly as food.

At Caleta de Carquín, in the province of Huaura, salted and sun-dried anchoveta forms the basis of a distinctive regional dish called charquicán.

The preservation method was officially recognized as part of Peru's national cultural heritage in 2016.

That recognition does not mean the technique was invented in 2016. It marks a formal decision to recognize and protect a continuing cultural practice.

Anchoveta peruana — Spanish — Peruvian anchoveta, Engraulis ringens

Anchoveta seca — Spanish — Dried anchoveta

Anchoveta salada seca — Spanish — Salted and dried anchoveta

Charqui — Andean Spanish usage — Dried or preserved food, often meat but with broader regional uses

Charquicán de anchoveta — Caleta de Carquín — Dish prepared with dried anchoveta, potatoes and seasoning

Caleta de Carquín — Local place name — Fishing community in the Huaura province of Peru

The fish is a marine anchovy, not a freshwater charal and not a young sardine.

Its small body enables drying methods that differ greatly from those used for very large fish such as pirarucu.

The anchoveta and the Humboldt Current

The Peruvian anchoveta forms large schools in cold, nutrient-rich marine waters.

Coastal upwelling supplies nutrients that support plankton, creating an ecosystem capable of supporting enormous numbers of small fish.

Anchoveta feed within this productive marine food web and, in turn, provide food for seabirds, marine mammals, larger fish and humans.

The fish are typically relatively small, with a slender body and oily flesh.

The 2016 Peruvian heritage resolution describes adult anchoveta commonly around 15–20 centimetres long, with an approximate weight of 30 grams per fish.

These are descriptive biological figures from the heritage document, not a strict specification for fish suitable for curing.

Schooling behaviour allows fishermen to catch quantities of anchoveta in a relatively short period.

That abundance creates the same basic preservation problem seen in many fisheries: a large catch must be eaten, sold, chilled or preserved before it spoils.

The history of anchoveta drying at Carquín

Fishing and the consumption of marine resources have very deep archaeological histories along the Peruvian coast.

Ancient settlements including those associated with the Caral-Supe civilization demonstrate the importance of marine foods in coastal and inland exchange.

However, evidence that people consumed fish in an ancient settlement does not automatically prove that they used every step of the precise Carquín technique documented today.

The modern practice is firmly attested in community descriptions and official cultural documentation.

The 2016 government resolution records the techniques transmitted among fishing families and recognizes their importance to local food production and identity.

On 21 September 2016, Peru issued Resolution 126-2016-VMPCIC-MC, declaring the ancestral anchoveta-drying technique of the central coast part of the nation's cultural heritage.

The resolution was published on 23 September 2016.

The declaration was formally presented to the Carquín community in December of that year.

These dates can be stated precisely.

The date of the method's original invention cannot.

The importance of women's knowledge

Official descriptions emphasize family transmission of the technique.

Children learned through observing and participating in household processing.

Women played a particularly important role in preparing, drying and using the fish.

This is significant because the process extends beyond the work of catching anchoveta.

The fish must be handled, salted, spread, watched, cleaned and eventually cooked.

The practical knowledge belongs to the wider fishing household.

The heritage method documented in 2016

The 2016 resolution provides a detailed account of the Carquín technique.

It describes a process involving whole anchoveta, salt, draining, exposure to sun and final cleaning.

The procedure is historically and culturally significant, but it is not a modern validated food-manufacturing protocol.

1. The catch reaches the household

Anchoveta are caught by local fishermen and brought to homes for preparation.

The short interval between catching and processing is important because small fish deteriorate quickly.

Their oily composition can also make them susceptible to rancidity if handled poorly.

2. Fish are sorted and prepared

The resolution documents variation in gutting.

Some families remove the viscera before salting; others preserve the fish whole.

This difference is important.

Removing the internal organs changes the opportunities for intestinal contents to contaminate the flesh.

It can also influence how quickly the interior of the fish dries.

The existence of both practices in the historical record does not establish that both would satisfy modern food safety requirements under arbitrary conditions.

3. Applying salt

Fish are placed in containers with salt and mixed so that the crystals adhere to their surfaces.

Salt begins dissolving in the fish's surface moisture.

Water moves out of the tissues and salt begins entering them.

4. Draining

After salting, the fish are allowed to release liquid, locally described in the documents as sanguaza.

Removing this liquid helps separate the product from some of the moisture extracted during curing.

That does not mean the entire fish has already reached its finished preserving condition.

5. Laying out the fish

The documented heritage practice spreads fish directly on sand or over fine netting placed on sand.

Some families use fishing nets to help protect the fish.

The resolution specifically notes that wood or plastic surfaces can become excessively hot under strong sunshine.

This is a description of a historical environmental practice, not a recommendation that modern producers should place edible fish directly on uncontrolled sand.

6. Sun drying

The 2016 account records approximately 5–7 days of drying, depending on solar conditions.

Fish are exposed to the coastal weather as moisture gradually leaves them.

The period is not a guaranteed endpoint.

Humidity, wind, fish size, internal organs and the available drying surface all affect what happens.

7. Cleaning the dried fish

After drying, the fish are brought back to households.

Processors remove the head, dried skin and backbone.

The remaining flesh is separated into strips or pieces.

These become the edible ingredient used in dishes such as charquicán.

Remaining portions have historically been used for other purposes, including animal feed or fertilizer.

This illustrates a broader household economy in which different parts of the catch may have different destinations.

A second documented method: the 2022 municipal account

A municipal publication from 7 July 2022 describes the local practice differently in several details.

It records:

- A batch of 96 anchoveta, described as eight dozen. - 750 grams of iodized salt. - A 10-minute resting period after salting. - Drying on cleaned stones for 2–3 days.

These quantities and durations belong to that specific account.

They are not numbers that should be combined mechanically with the 2016 description.

The two sources differ over drying surface, duration and treatment of the fish.

The 2016 heritage text records 5–7 days on sand or fine netting.

The 2022 municipal text records 2–3 days on cleaned stones.

A further 2025 regional report describes the shorter drying method.

Why the difference matters

It is tempting to treat the documents as conflicting versions of one standardized industrial process and select whichever seems most convenient.

That would be an error.

Local practices can vary among families, seasons and specific applications.

A shorter period may reflect different preparation, fish condition, weather or drying surface.

The sources do not give sufficient laboratory data to establish the safety equivalence of the two accounts.

Therefore, they should be presented as separately documented practices.

Neither should be promoted as a tested home-recipe specification.

The preservation science

Anchoveta preservation combines salt addition with loss of moisture.

Salt action

Salt creates a concentrated brine against the fish's surface.

It draws out water and begins moving into the flesh.

Because anchoveta are relatively small, salt has a shorter distance to travel than it would in a thick piece of pirarucu.

Nevertheless, the rate and uniformity of curing depend on how the fish is handled and whether the internal organs remain.

Evaporation

Sun and moving air can remove moisture from the surface.

Internal water moves outward as the surface becomes drier.

The quality of the process depends on continuing this until the intended preservation state is achieved.

Oil oxidation

Anchoveta contain marine lipids, including polyunsaturated fatty acids.

These have nutritional value but are vulnerable to oxidation.

Heat, light and prolonged exposure to air can contribute to stale or rancid flavours.

Salt does not automatically prevent oxidation.

Microbiology

Fish surfaces, intestinal contents, seawater and drying environments can all contribute microorganisms.

Some are harmless under appropriate conditions, while others may cause spoilage or illness.

The traditional account does not provide a comprehensive microbiological characterization of the finished product.

Its existence as cultural heritage does not mean every possible replication is safe.

Charquicán: a dish built around dried fish

The best-known culinary use of Carquín anchoveta is charquicán de anchoveta.

This is a savoury dish incorporating prepared dried anchoveta with potatoes, onions, garlic, chilli peppers and herbs.

It is distinct from every other Andean dish called charquicán.

The name appears in different regions and may refer to preparations with meat or different ingredients. Those should not be merged into one universal recipe.

Carquín's identity is specifically connected to anchoveta seca.

Ingredients

A municipal preparation identifies:

- Prepared dried anchoveta - Onion - Garlic - Ají amarillo - Ají colorado - Ají mirasol - Boiled potatoes - Coriander leaves - Vinegar or lemon juice - Rice for serving

The municipal description does not provide a complete ingredient weight for every item.

It is therefore inappropriate to invent precise quantities and present them as its official recipe.

Preparation

First, the purchased or otherwise safely prepared dried anchoveta is cleaned and softened as required.

The fish may be rinsed with hot water to remove excess salt and surface residues.

Onion, garlic and chilli components are cooked into an aromatic base.

The prepared fish is added, followed by the cooked potatoes and fresh herbs.

The dish is served with rice.

Different households adjust the balance between fish, potatoes and chilli.

The dried anchoveta gives the dish a concentrated savoury character that fresh anchovy would not reproduce exactly.

Charquicán and Holy Week

Charquicán has particular importance during Semana Santa, or Holy Week.

Carquín hosts gastronomic festivals celebrating the dish and the local dried-fish tradition.

The festivals include food preparation, community gatherings and cultural events.

Reports document a fourth festival in 2019, a seventh in 2024 and an eighth in 2025.

These are specific events, not evidence that the festival has existed continuously since an ancient period.

The dish remains meaningful because it joins a preserved local ingredient with communal cooking and public identity.

What can go wrong?

Small fish can appear dry outside while retaining moisture internally.

Whole-fish preparations may create additional concerns when viscera remain.

Direct contact with uncontrolled sand, soil or rock surfaces can introduce contamination.

Insects and birds may reach fish left exposed.

Repeated rainfall can prevent drying or rehydrate partially dried fish.

Oily fish can turn rancid.

Spoilage indicators include mould, slime, strong unpleasant odours and suspicious deterioration.

However, dangerous microorganisms or toxins cannot always be detected by appearance.

A fish should not be consumed merely because it has passed the number of days mentioned in a historical document.

Safety and modern adaptations

The two recorded Carquín methods do not provide a validated microbiological endpoint.

Neither gives a final water-activity measurement, complete salt analysis, pathogen testing or a controlled temperature history for every possible batch.

The FDA's general 0.85 water-activity threshold is relevant to shelf-stable dried seafood but is not a substitute for complete process validation.

Modern production intended for consumption or sale should address hygienic surfaces, potable water, raw fish handling, protection against contamination and documented storage requirements.

The traditional use of sand or rocks is historically important and worth preserving in research. It should not be interpreted as a recommendation to use contaminated surfaces in contemporary food manufacturing.

Why Carquín's anchoveta belongs in a world atlas

This food demonstrates that the value of a fish species cannot be measured solely by its contribution to industrial production.

Anchoveta can be a major commercial resource, a foundation of marine ecosystems and a small-scale household ingredient.

The Carquín technique also offers unusually detailed evidence of knowledge transmitted through families, especially through women's food processing.

Its official recognition in 2016 gives researchers a specific, dated source describing the method.

The later municipal account adds something equally valuable: evidence that a living tradition may have multiple documented forms.

The responsible way to preserve this knowledge is not to smooth away the differences. It is to record them accurately.