Carp is usually eaten once a year - on Christmas Eve. It is definitely too rare, because carp has numerous properties and nutritional values, thanks to which it has a positive effect on he alth. When eaten regularly, it improves heart function and memory, and even increases the body's immunity. What other properties does carp have? How much calories does carp have?
Karp( Cyprinus carpio ) is a fish that haspropertiesandnutritional values have been appreciated in Poland since the 13th century - then it came to our country together with the Cistercians. Before that, he had made a career at the court of the Roman emperor, where Roman legionaries brought him from the wars in the Danube basin.
Currently, carp on the table appear more often due to tradition than taste preferences. Its meat is believed to be too boned and slimy. However, it is not without reason that the carp has been called the king fish for centuries. Christianity contributed to its popularity. In times when there were many more days of fasting, carp were bred in monastic ponds.
It turned out that only in our climatic conditions (clean air and rare fauna and flora) was it possible to breed carp with exceptional taste. Therefore, the fish delighted the palates of Polish rulers - hence the name of its most popular variety:royal carp .
Carp: properties. Is carp he althy?
Carp is classified as a medium-fat fish. It contains unsaturated fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6, which support the work of the brain and reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Carp is also a source of B vitamins (B1, B6, B12 and PP).
Carp meat also consists of easily digestible protein and minerals: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and sodium.
It is worth knowing that the content of protein and amino acids in carp meat is comparable to that of other marine and freshwater fish. On the other hand, the amount of unsaturated fatty acids from the linolenic acid (n-3) and linoleic acid (n-6) families, as in all typically freshwater fish, is lower compared to fatty marine fish. Nevertheless, it is definitely higher than in the meat of warm-blooded animals, especially mammals. These acids are not synthesized in the body and must be administered in the diet. - Polyunsaturated fatty acids, sometimes abbreviated as EFAs, havea comprehensive pro-he alth effect on the human body, regardless of age, sex and physiological state - says the expert, prof. Paweł Poczyczyński from the University of Warmia and Mazury. However, it is worth remembering that the nutritional value of a carp depends to some extent on what it was fed. If it was fed with poor quality fodder - it will contain more fat than protein. A valuable carp cannot grow too fast. Good fish should be fed with natural forage for three seasons (this is how long the optimal carp breeding cycle is). Therefore, when choosing a fish for the Christmas table, it is worth asking about its origin and age. Each retailer should make this information available to the customer upon request, and in many fish stores it is displayed next to live carp logs. However, it is more difficult to check what exactly the carp was fed.
Carp - nutritional values, calories (in 100 g of boiled carp)
The energy value of a carp is 162 kcalTotal protein - 22.86 g Fat - 7.17 g
- saturated fatty acids - 1.388 g - monounsaturated fatty acids - 2.985 g - polyunsaturated fatty acids - 1.835 g
Carbohydrates - 0 g Fiber - 0 gVitaminsVitamin C - 1.6 mg Thiamine - 0.140 mg Riboflavin - 0.070 mg Niacin - 2.100 mg Vitamin B6 - 0.219 mg Folic acid - 17 µg Vitamin A - 32 IU Vitamin B12 - 1.47 µgMineralsCalcium - 52 mg Iron - 1.59 mg Magnesium - 38 mg Phosphorus - 531 mg Potassium - 427 mg Sodium - 63 mg Zinc - 1.90 mgData Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
Carp - price, where to buy?
At the beginning of December, and sometimes at the end of November, fresh, live carp are available in stores for about PLN 12 / kg. You have to pay about PLN 2.50 for a piece of carp for 100 g.
Fresh, live carp can also be bought at the lake farm (about PLN 18 / kg) and livestock farms (PLN 15 / kg).
Carp - types. Full body, mirror (royal) and more
The most popular carp species are:
- full-body carp - the whole body of the fish is covered with a layer of scales
- king carp, or mirror carp - has a small amount of scales that are located near the head and along the lateral line of the body. It is considered the most delicious type of carp. Easily remove bones from it
- scaleless carp, otherwise black-necked carp
- koi carp is a domesticated, ornamental breeding form of carp
- karp zatorski - a commercial variety of carp, grown in fish ponds near Zator
Jelly carp, fried, baked
If you can't imagine Christmas Eve withoutcarp, and you are on a diet, eat carp jelly. Boiled fish in jelly from vegetable stock will be less caloric than fried carp in breadcrumbs. Another way to "slim down" a carp is to bake it in foil with aromatic herbs.
100 g of raw fish will have 127 calories, in cooked carp served in jelly - 162 calories. Fried carp in breadcrumbs is already a calorie dish (from 200 to 300 kcal - it depends, among others, on the breading and the amount of fat on which the fish is fried), so it is worth giving it up at the expense of baked fish. There will be 147 calories in a 100-gram portion of carp baked with herbs and spices.
Carp - was it properly fed?
- Unfortunately, the consumer has no way of checking it yet. The only guarantee of high quality is reaching for carp from a well-known breeding farm. It is also best to buy live carp from a pool with well-oxygenated, clean water.
I have not come across research results showing significant differences in the nutritional content - regardless of whether it is Czech, Polish, Hungarian or Lithuanian carp. However, there may be local differences, depending on the growth rate, feed energy, etc. - advises Tomasz Kulikowski from the Fish Market Development Association.
The method of carp production in Poland and in neighboring countries does not differ significantly. Carp breeding is based on natural food, produced by the ecosystem of the pond. Additionally, it is supplemented with fodder - mainly grain, sometimes also with extruded fodder.
How to choose the best carp?
- age - cannot be too old as this will negatively affect the fat to meat ratio which increases with age
- should have a round belly
- skin - fresh and he althy carp should be brown-yellow-blue in color, with smooth and moist skin, without damage, stains or mucus
- the color of the gills should be dark red, not pale
- should have glassy eyes, clear and protruding
- meat - it should be resilient and firm
- gills and scales must be shiny and adhere well to the carcass of the fish
- it is best if it floats on the bottom of the tank with clean and transparent water
- the smell of carp should not be unpleasant, but a carp that smells of silt does not necessarily mean that the fish is of poor quality. This is his characteristic smell
- price - avoid the cheapest fish as possible
Giant carps - the largest carp in the world
The average male carp can weigh as much as 40 kg and measure up to 1 m. Howeverstandard commercial size is from 30 to 50 cm with a weight of about 1.5 kg. However, there are giant carps that weigh much more. The largest fish of this species caught in Poland weighed 34.5 kg. Dawid Mucha caught it in 2016 from Lake Rybnickie. The previous Polish record for fishing for carp was 34 kg. A fish of this weight was caught in 2011 by a German angler in Jarosławki.
The world record belongs to the Dutchman, Michel Schoenmaker¹, who in November 2022 caught a carp weighing 51.2 kg in Hungary (from the Euro Aqua fishery).
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