Fried carp is currently the main part of the Christmas dinner for most Czech families. It was not always so. Where did this Czech custom come from?
History of Czech Christmas dinner
A fish is a traditional symbol of Christianity and fast food. Eating fish for Christmas holidays has been documented in the Czech republic since the 17th century, but the people have not kept this custom very much.
In the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, the Christmas feast featured a number of curses symbolizing abundance, although it was mostly simple food. Old Czech traditional Christmas dishes included delicacies such as “černý kuba” (black jacob in English), mushroom or pea soup, as well as Christmas sweets and dried fruit. The fish was often represented on the table with a symbolic fish-shaped bake.
A long history also had Christmas pig-slaughters. At Christmas there was also a large amount of beer on the tables. The habit of drinking for the "New Year" has been observed, especially in the north of Europe, since prehistory. People drank a lot to have healthy cattle and rich corps next year.
Christmas fried carp
Carp at the Christmas table appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, rather in fishpond areas or in rich families. Originally, it was made so-called “na černo” (black in English), prepared for up to three days in advance, when the meat was cooked with nuts, gingerbread or plums.
Nowadays, carp is usually prepared in a trio of flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. This habit emerged thanks to Mrs. D. Rettigová, the foremother of Czech cookbooks, who introduced a recipe for fried carp in one of their cookbooks in 1924.
The popularity of the Christmas fried carp quickly spread and from the second half of the 20th century, it became a traditional Christmas dish in most Czech families. However, it was always true that at Christmas it should be eaten a lot, and the offer of food should be varied.
What side dish choose to the carp?
Traditional Christmas fried carp is prepared with potato salad. It is very tasty and the preparation is also quite easy.
POTATO SALAD RECIPE
Ingredients
- 4 kg of potatoes
- 2 onions
- 1 smaller celery
- 4 carrots
- 4 eggs
- 4 pickled cucumbers
- 1 can of sterilized peas
- 2 apples
- 1 large white yoghurt
- 1 glass of mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon of mustard
- pepper ground
- salt
Preparation
- Boil potatoes, celery and carrots in the peel and after that wait until it cools down. Then peel it and cut into cubes, including boiled eggs, cucumbers and apples. Cut the onions finely and steam it with hot water. Drain peas.
- Mix everything together.
- Finally, add salt, pepper and yogurt mixed with mayonnaise according to your taste. If you want, you can add a spoon of mustard.
