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. Sardines are called "Chalai" in parts of South of India.
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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