One of the most famous and widespread freshwater fish around the world is certainly the common carp, Cyprinus Caprio. It is believed that this fish, so popular for both fishermen and gourmets, originates from the area between the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and Kazakhstan, from where it is transferred to almost all the waters of our planet. By the way, the family of carp of Cyprinidae is very numerous and has more than 1,200 species. Some are the length of a little finger, like an American coastal glitter, while others, like an Indian mahsir, are real monsters - as long as three meters.

Aldo, thanks to the very successful breeding in fishponds, carp is common on market stalls and menus, some of its characteristics are only now being discovered by science.

Protector against evil spirits

Experienced anglers rightly believe that carp is what among freshwater fish is what a fox is among beasts. So, he is, above all, extremely cunning and cautious, and then very strong, and they say intelligent. In these hymns, the carp's intelligence and dexterity are often exaggerated, of course in the well-known, fishing way. It is said that a carp, hooked on a hook, was thrown out the water and turned in the air, so that he could cut the fishing nylon with sharp teeth on the dorsal fin and thus be released. But every honest fisherman will find out that the carp has outwitted him who knows how many times, just as an experienced fisherman only becomes outwitted when the carp is outwitted. Because of all these, but also other characteristic, carp have always been associated with various beliefs and traditions.

It got its scientific name - Cyprinus carpio - after Aphrodite the Cypriot, the goddess of love and fertility, because an adult female carp can lay several hundred thousand to a million and a half eggs at once. Today, in Japan, where it is otherwise highly respected, it is a symbol of of masculinity and courage as it swims upstream on rivers and rapids. Every fifth of May, on Children's Day, the Japanese celebrate carp by paying special attention to children. On that day, many of these paper fish are placed on the top of masts or on the roofs of houses.

Many Far Eastern beliefs are also dedicated to carp. Thus it is believed that he easily turns into a winged dragon, and the immortals ascend to heaven right on him, with secret massages in his womb. He protects Vietnamese houses and hearths from evil spirits.

While in our country (Serbia) carp is often a sign of ignorance and silence, in some parts of China it is quite the opposite - a student who showed knowledge and passed the exam for the reward received - carp.

For a royal table

Thanks to its tasty and nutritious meat, this fish is becoming more common and more important in the diet of people in various parts of the world. But the Danube one, which was brought to Europe from China, has always been a welcome specialty even at the most lavish feasts. This is why the Roman historian and philosopher Cassiodorus rightly wrote enthusiastically about a thousand and a half years ago: "The ordinary world can eat what it wants; only rare delicacies are suitable for the royal table, such as the fish that leaves in Danube - carp."

However, he is not so popular everywhere. On the contrary, in some places it is even considered a pest, as in the Australian state of Victoria. The authorities there decided thirty years ago to exterminate all carp, because since they were imported from Europe, they multiplied so much that they became a real scourge, threatening to suppress all other fish species. A regulation has ever been passed banning the release of carp into waters that aren't yet "polluted" by this fish. The offender will be punished accordingly.

The carp is known as an omnivore, a true water pig. With strong pharyngeal teeth, he grinds almost everything like mill wheels: various insects and their larvae, grain of cereals, earthworms, snails, shellfish, smaller fruits and eggs of other fish.

Although he is known for his cunning and distrust, at least when he comes to leave in nature, carp in a pool or pond can be amazingly tame, learn to come to the place where he takes food and even swim to the breeder's sound, like dogs.

Blue, pink or green

If the living conditions are favorable, the one-year-old carp weighs about 500-600 grams. In order to accelerate their growth and weight, scientists from the famous 'Max Plank' Institute in Hamburg taught carp to take artificial food from special bottles with pacifiers. By sucking on a very nutritious porridge of fish meal enriched with vitamins and soybean oil, carp from small fish have grown in three years into real capillaries weighing eight kilograms.

The lifespan of carp is about thirty years, which is a deep age for a fish. But what about carp over two hundred years old? Amazing, isn't it? Or, can we, for example, imagine a man almost 500 years old?

Dr. Komei Kosikara has been taking care of Hanako's female carp for years. At his call or whistle, the fish would always swim to shore and get out her head out of the water to eat from his hand. Sometimes, she would let him take her out the water and, carrying her in his arms, walk along the shore.

The fish was more than 200 years old, which was confirmed tests by scientists from the University of Kobe. According to their findings, Hanako was born in the second half of the 18th century, more precisely around 1767. We can only assume what ancient historical events and personalities this fish methuselah was a contemporary of. Hanako died in July 7, 1977.

The famous goldfish, or golden carp, also originates from Japan. Ichthyologist and geneticists are managed to create some hitherto unseen and unusual species of carp. One of them is so-called carp - a mirror whose incredibly large scales are arranged in only one or two rows along the sides.

Finally, satisfying the wishes of the market, that is, picky and, of course, very rich costumers, Japanese experts managed to produce carp of various colors. If you pay a thousand dollars for a blue, pink or purple carp, its owner can put it as a living decoration in a pool or a personal pond and thus enjoy its unreal beauty.

But such carp increasingly end up in on the tables of gourmets with expensive taste, because they don't lose color even when baked. Then imagine that they bring you carp blue as spring sky, or green as April grass for a gala dinner.

Images and literature: Politica's Entertainer, number 3589