The story of Christmas carp

Chances are, if you don't happen to have been raised in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, certain parts of Germany and Austria, or Poland, you may never have thought of carp as a delicacy. But within the territory of what used to be the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the freshwater fish is consumed both with abandon and enthusiasm.

In the Czech Republic, carp even features as the main dish in the traditional Christmas dinner: fried carp served with potato salad. This is why in the weeks leading up to Christmas, fishmongers set up shop on Prague streets, offering fresh (read: live) carp across the city.

Without a doubt, carp sales in the Czech Republic peak in November and December. Farmers at the Třebon Fishery, located in the south Bohemian town of the same name, is one of the country's main producers of carp, harvesting roughly 2,200 of the company's total yearly output of 3,300 tons in the fall. The country has a long tradition of farming the fish that started in the early 14th century.

 "Our method of fishing has remained largely unchanged, apart from a few innovations," says Aleš Kříž, the company's head fish-breeding technician. "First, we drain the pond, which can take anywhere between a week and a month, depending on how deep it is. The fish move to the deepest part of the drained pond, and that's where we catch them, with boats and nets. It is hard physical labor that hasn't changed in the past 500 years."

Třebon Fishery, which has 388 carp ponds, employs 95 fishermen, but seasonal workers as well as carp-fishing aficionados come in when the main season kicks off to help out the staff. After carp is fished, the specimens are divided according to size. The smaller fish are then returned to ponds, while the bigger catches are moved to holding facilities from where they are delivered to retail outlets.

"Czech carp are retailed when the fish are 3 to 4 years old, so it's not like chicken, which is relatively quick to breed," says Emmerich Čížek from the carp distributor company Fishmarket. "Carp take a long time."

The country's total output of carp averages some 20,000 tons yearly, 70 percent of which is exported. "Most of the carp is exported to countries such as Slovakia, Germany and Austria, but also more remote importers, like Spain and Italy," says Čížek, who is quick to praise the superiority of Czech carp, which he says has firmer flesh and a nicer texture than its cousins from Poland or Hungary.

"We have been cultivating the fish here for a very long time, so our genetic material has a high quality," he says. "Our carp is known for its great, firm meat and for not being too fatty."

In recent years, salmon or even poultry and pork-based dishes have gained popularity as viable replacements for carp at Christmas, which many younger Czechs view as too heavy a meal. However, carp remains the undisputed favorite for most families. "Some people try salmon or something else one year, but they always come back to carp," Čížek says. "They realize it's just not Christmas without carp."

About 90 percent of carp in the Czech Republic is sold live, often by fishmongers who operate small stands on city streets. But while in the past, most Czechs would kill the fish themselves at home, and bathtubs converted to carp tanks in peoples' homes around Christmas time were a rather familiar sight, some customers now opt to have their Christmas dinner killed before taking it home, Čížek says.

For those who intend to give the home-killing a try, chef Václav Fríč, who specializes in traditional Czech cooking, has this advice. "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."

And if you'd rather not get down and dirty but would still like to sample one of the country's most popular dishes, Čížek recommends you sample at a restaurant. "For those who have never had carp, I would recommend seeking out a restaurant with a good reputation for their carp, or you can attend a carp tasting at a carp pond."

Sarah Borufka can be reached at
sborufka@praguepost.com