Sardines.World Sardines.World "Sardine" is a marketing word as much as a biological one. In the EU only Sardina pilchardus may be sold unqualified as a sardine — but elsewhere the tin might hold a sprat, a herring, or a warm-water sardinella. Here's what's really in each, and which brands use it.
The Atlantic herring is a large clupeid of the North Atlantic that sometimes appears in products loosely labelled 'sardines', but it is not a true sardine under EU rules.
The Bali sardinella is a genuine sardine of the family Clupeidae and a mainstay of the Philippine and Indonesian canning industry, though it belongs to the genus Sardinella rather than Sardina.
The Brazilian sardinella is the dominant sardine-type fish of the Southwest Atlantic and the species behind Brazil's canned-sardine industry. A true sardine-type sardinella of the family Clupeidae, it is the regional default packed by Brazilian brands such as Gomes da Costa and Coqueiro.
The European pilchard is the only species that may be marketed unqualified as 'sardines' in the European Union under Council Regulation (EEC) No 2136/89.
The European sprat is a small clupeid of the Baltic and North Sea that is commonly canned and sometimes marketed as 'sardines' or 'brisling sardines', but it is not a true sardine under EU labelling rules.
A true sardine of the family Clupeidae and one of the most-eaten sardines on Earth — the mainstay of India's Malabar-coast fishery — yet a fish that almost never meets a can.
The ma-iwashi of the Northwest Pacific and Sea of Japan — the true sardine behind Japan's entire canned-iwashi culture, from budget kabayaki cans to hand-packed artisan oil sardines.
The round sardinella is a warm-water sardine of the Atlantic and Mediterranean and a genuine member of the Clupeidae, though distinct from the European pilchard.
Sardinops sagax is a genuine sardine of the Pacific and southern oceans used by some US and Pacific canning brands, distinct from the European pilchard.
Brands whose fish varies by catch or supplier, or couldn't be pinned to one species.
These brands can't be pinned to a single species — the fish varies by catch, supplier, or region, or the evidence simply isn't there. We don't force them into a definite bucket.
Best guess: Sardina pilchardus — unconfirmed.
Best guess: Sardinops sagax — unconfirmed.
Best guess: Sardinella lemuru — unconfirmed.
Best guess: Sardinella lemuru — unconfirmed.
Is the fish in your tin legally a sardine at all? About 22 species can carry the name — here's how to read the label like a taxonomist.
What's in season, the newest guide, and one tin worth hunting down — readable in three minutes. No spam, just fish.
No spam — unsubscribe anytime.