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Sardines, or pilchards, are a group of several types of
small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae.
Sardines were named after the island of Sardinia, where
they were once in abundance.
The terms are not precise, and the usual meanings vary
by region; for instance, to many people a sardine is a
young, European pilchard. A generalisation is that if
the fish is under 4" long (10 cm) it is classed as a
sardine, and if larger than 4 inches it is classed as a
pilchard. The FAO/WHO Codex standard for canned sardines
cites 21 species that may be classed as sardines;
FishBase, a comprehensive database of information about
fish, lists at least six species called just "pilchard,"
over a dozen called just "sardine", and many more with
the two basic names qualified by various adjectives.
Canned "sardines" in supermarkets may actually be sprats
(such as the "brisling sardine") or round herrings. The
actual sizes of the fish canned vary by species. Good
quality sardines should have the head and gills removed
before packing. They may also be eviscerated before
packing (typically the larger varieties), or not; if not
eviscerated they should be free of undigested or
partially digested food or feces (accomplished by
holding the live fish in a tank for long enough that
their digestive systems empty themselves). They may be
packed in oil or some sort of sauce.
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