Why carp for Polish Christmas?

Just wondering... why do people in Poland eat carp for Christmas Eve? I understand about no eating red meat, but out of all the fish - why pick the worst one possible? You can farm salmon as easily! Is this tradition still going strong or is it fading? Is there any way to cook this fish so it's actually eatable?

The tradition came to Poland about a hundred years ago from either Austria or Germany.
Carp, supposedly, bring luck.


You need to keep it in fresh water without any feeding for a couple days before the execution. That help the fish crap out all the mud it normally is plugged with.

Personally, I tried carp once and I didn't like it.

Carps in Poland are raised in clean waters, are mainly fed grain and corn and considered a delicacy. This year the price for carp will be up about 30% because of the higher prices of grain.
It's a tradition in Poland to serve carp on christmas and is usually bought alive and like dariusz said, they keep it in the bathtub for a few days. Then they have to kill it.
But some people give names to their carp and feel sorry for it and let it go.

what a load of carp;)

The thing is that in the U.S. carp is considered an uneatable fish, and a pest. There is also an environmental issue here. Right now the North American waters are under attack from Asian Carp (Jumping Carp), who is invading lakes and rivers moving up north. The first person who will find something useful to do with carp will make a million.

tradition. The history of eating carp goes back to XII in Poland. Also, Polish carp probably tastes better than the one in the USA.
Smoked eels are eaten in Poland, as well as in Europe.

"Catching and Eating Carp

Common carp are extremely popular with anglers in many parts of Europe, and their popularity as quarry is slowly increasing among anglers in the United States. Very specialized baits and tackle have been developed for common carp angling.It is also popular with spear and bow fisherman.

Carp is also eaten in many parts of the world both when caught from the wild and raised in aquaculture. In Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia and Poland, a carp is a traditional part of a Christmas Eve dinner."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_carp

I imagine roach to taste worse. I don't know why. I just imagine so.


Tsk tsk. Some people will give names to just about anything.
I'm typing this on Katie Keyboard with help from Ebeneezer the Mouse, Sammy Screen and Molly Modem.
I'm off in a bit to cook myself Dinner (called Dave, with Denise Dessert).

When i first came to Poland i was told about this tradition , and the fact it was kept in the bath for a few days...I knew the bit about eating carp for Christmas was true , as i had read it on the internet , but i thought the part about keeping it in the bath was a wind up....My Polish friend Aneta and me had a long history of telling each other complete lies about each others national traditions , so i thought this was one of her wind ups....She took geat pleasure in showing me , not one but two large carp in the bath at her parents house...Not long afterwards i took Kuba the family cat into the bathroom to show him the fish...he was very interested indeed...After a while i took him out of the bathroom , firmly closed the door , and we went downstairs...Unfortunatly Kuba , who is a rather beefy tomcat decided the fish were worth another look...While we were all busy downstairs he returned to the bathroom , swung on the doorhandle untill the door opened , and dragged one of the fish out of the bath...The fish was almost as big as he was , but it didn,t stop him giving it a good beating from which it died....You can guess who got the blame for all this......

So where do you buy the live fish and how do you get it home ?
We dont get Carp up here, wouldn't fancy eating one.

carp in US are considered dirty fish, because they eat all the crap from the bottom of the river, I've caught a couple of them but let them go, they are big and UGLY!!. But I have tasted smoked carp, wasn't too bad but very greasy.

"Bottom feeder" never sounds particularly tempting.

Hahaha yeah but now you have a great story to entertain people with.

The problem with a carp if I understand it right is that there is nothing but bones in it - so there is no way you can actually eat it. I did find a recipe on a different cooking forum for an Asian carp soup, using a pressure cooker - so the bones actually turn soft from cooking and you can eat them. I don't have a pressure cooker yet, but that would be a good reason to buy one. The recipe calls for a whole carp, but I probably wouldn't use the head or the fins :)



... Or I could simply get a salmon instead :)

I could never eat one of my cousins in the first place,
but Carp is a garbage fish

Herring is far tastier. They're not that closely related.

No Carp`s are big fat nasty looking suckers often found hanging out near your
local sewage pond.

I hate to sound racist but Sledz are better:)

the eat the breed of carp grass carp is it right?

karp smazony or karp po źydowsku which is nicer?

You shall have a fishy on a little dishy.....

just curious, but how do people wash if there's a carp swimming in the bath on the days leading up to Christmas ?

Merry Christmas - your first present - your first proper wash for a week.

carp.jpg

I had a picture I posted a while ago clipped so you couldn't see the whole thing.
Dare I ask what that gentleman is saying / screaming?

Krysia,
you kill me:)

what a talented Artist we should hang that baby in muzeum narodowe w krakowie

Thank goodness the Polish tradition calls for a carp for Christmas and not a pike... or a shark or a snapping turtle.

click your pointer over it and you'll find out! haha

Why carp for Christmas?

Since Christmas Eve is technically a Lent (although abolished by Vatican few years ago) Fish is a must have dish. Fish is also an ancient symbol of Christ and Christianity. Although there are many fish dishes served on Christmas Eve the most common fish dish in Poland these days is Carp. There are many reasons for the popularity of carp. The carp inhabits standing and running fresh waters. For the first time the species was domesticated in China in the V c. BC. In Poland carp husbandry dates back to at least mid XII c. The earliest mentions of carp in the Zator Region date from the XIII c. The carp culturing centre situated here has been one of the most important of its kind in Poland since the middle ages. The flavor value of the Zator carp was appreciated by Polish kings, who were importing it onto their tables for years. In 1508 the Principalities of Oświęcim and Zator supplied the court of Sigismund I the Old with several dozen tonnes of the fish. The watercourses supplying water to the ponds were then a subject of many wrangles. In 1513, in a feud over water supplying ponds in Laskowa, Wawrzyniec Myszkowski, the castellan of Oświęcim, killed Prince of Zator, Janusz. As a result of this murder, the Principality of Zator was incorporated into Poland. Carps cultured by Adolf Gasch from Kaniów near Czechowice gained fame at the Berlin agricultural exhibition in 1880. Since then they have been called Galician carps - from the German name: "galizische Karpfen-Race"). This Carp is a must have fish dish on Christmas Eve. Given the history of carp in Poland carp is considered a fish fit for Kings. And as this poem shows carp and other variety of fish have been a traditional dish on Christmas Eve.

Z wielkiej kuchni gospodyni
Śle delicyę za delicyą,
Sutą ucztę pilnie czyni
Uważając na tradycję.

Teraz wisi ot, na włosku
Cnej jejmości słuszna sława,
Więc jest szczupak po żydowsku:
Prym jegomość temu dawa

Zasię potem lin w śmietanie
I karp tłusty w sosie szarym
Jedz - nie pytaj, mości panie,
A zapijaj węgrem starym.

Jedz - nie pytaj! - a gdyć mało,
Starodawną znaj wiliję:
Masz tłuczeńców misę całą
I zamorskie bakalije!

Did you know that some Poles keep one or two scales from the carp that was slathered for Christmas Eve in their wallet as it supposed to bring good fortune?

its actually signifies the age of pisces and was adopted by christianity

In modern times, the fish outline symbol is experiencing a comeback. It is commonly seen in the form of a bumper sticker or casting mounted on the trunk lids of cars. The body of the symbol may be empty, or may contain a name ("Jesus" or "ICTUS"). This has inspired some Secularists, Atheists and promoters of the theory of evolution to mimic the Christian fish symbol with one of their own. It usually has "DARWIN" in the body of the fish, and little legs underneath. This has prompted "fish wars" between supporters of the secular and religious symbols.
But I see you’re supporter of the new age movement.

no - just aware of the facts