A Twist in the Tailtakes readers on a tantalising voyage through European and American gastronomic history, following the trail of a small but mighty fish: the anchovy.

Whether in ubiquitous Romangarum, mass-produced British condiments, elaborate Frenchhaute cuisineor modern Spanish tapas, anchovies have been enhancing the flavour of many dishesfor thousands of years. Yet, depending upon the time and place—and who was eating them—they have also been disdained as worthless little fish, deemed too small, bony and inconsequential for popular or elite consumption. From Western Europe to the USA, Christopher Beckman shows how the evolving and ambiguous position of anchovies provides surprising insights into the relationship between food, class and status throughout history.

Drawing on cookbooks, literature and art, this is the hidden story of the diminutive anchovy, and its outsized role in shaping the West’s cuisine.