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Carp get harvested around November (for the Christmas table), at between 3-4 yrs of age. They are kept in clean water until Christmas and then sold live at grocery stores. "Generational" breeder carp are babied in separate ponds under very good conditions and artificially inseminated to increase yield. It seems like the ponds were emptied and harvested every 2-3 yrs. Many people come to watch the occasion, and warm themselves with liquor while they watch. The whole thing is firmly ingrained in the history and traditions of the region.
I read somewhere that the meat is comparable to salmon, except with those fine bones. I don't like salmon that much, except smoked, but I love smoked carp, fried carp with lemon juice and mashed potatoes, carp fish soup made from the heads, eggs, etc.
I hope some of this helped.
Ed, thanks for the great post. I come from a very mixed up heritage.
My father's family was from Bialystock, Poland. My grandmother's sister (my great aunt) would somewhere find a big fat live carp before Christmas each year. She'd keep it in her bathtub for several days, and then serve it a number of ways on Christmas Eve. The old Polish generation seemed to enjoy it. On a 1 to 10 comparison with salmon, I'd generally rate it at -10, except for smoked carp, which might rate a +2.
My mother's family was from Oulu, Finland. For Christmas Eve we had "sylte" (pork headcheese) and smoked salmon or trout. They'd wait until Christmas day to torture the family with lutefisk.
Both sides of the family also prepared many wonderful home-baked crackers, breads, sausage treats, hams, pastries, milk cheeses, etc.
I loved the headcheese and the smoked fish. The carp had few redeeming values. The lutefisk -- or "lye-dyed fish jello," was even worse than the carp in its many forms.
If it was my pond, I'd hope that the bass won the population contest. Then I'd stock with good tasting fish.
