I’ve never thought of eating carp for Christmas dinner. But I guess that’s because I was raised in the U.S. and my mom always cooked cow — prime rib to be exact. Some of the Central European countries consider carp a delicacy and traditional Christmas Eve supper — the Czech Republic being one of those countries.
My 18-yr old son will be there this Christmas — his first Christmas away from home and his first Christmas while serving a mission. I wanted to know more about this Christmas carp, because here in the states, carp is considered a bottom-dweller and not a delicious fish. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in the grocery store. Unless you consider gefilte fish — which can be carp.
What’s the history behind this fish dish?
In Czech and Slovak, the streets become crowded with fishmongers, selling live carp out of large barrels or tubs. Mind you, carp are big bony fish.
They’ve been raised in man-made ponds that date back to the 16th century — when Jakub Krčín built them for the Bohemian aristocrats — the House of Rozmberk — near the town of Třeboň.
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Tradition says that you must buy a live carp and bring him home in a bag, and let him go in your bath tub, filled with cold water. The children can enjoy him as a pet for a few days.
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On Christmas Eve, December 24th, you clobber the carp over the head with a large mallot, gut him, de-scale him, and hopefully de-bone him. Then you bread him and fry him. A serving of potato salad completes this fish dish. The head and guts are often used to make a fish soup. Some people prefer to have the fishmonger kill the carp and prepare it for cooking.
According to chef Václav Fríč, ” To kill it, you first have to hit it hard in the head, then I cut the gills and the tail so the fish stops flapping about,” he says. “Then you remove the scales and the innards from the stomach with a knife and clean the carp out. You can use the leftovers to make soup.” (The Prague Post)
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Interesting Facts:
Czech produces 20,000 tons of carp every year
90% of the carp is sold live at fish stands
Most people have it killed by the fish monger instead of taking it home to the bathtub
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