Similar to the crucian carp, but larger, it has a mouth equipped with two pairs of short barbels on the upper jaw.
It presents a remarkable variety of shapes: large scales cover the entire body ("queen carp"), but they can also be absent ("naked carp" or "leather carp") or they can be very large and irregularly scattered, predominantly on the back and along the midline of the flanks ("mirror carp"). During the reproductive season, males (smaller than females) display nuptial tubercles (a characteristic also common to other cyprinids). It can reach sizes exceeding 30 kg in weight and 130 cm in length.
In Trentino, carp are found in almost all stagnant waters below 1,000 meters above sea level. They are also widespread in slow-moving, deep, and vegetated waters. Although they can live in cold waters, they prefer water temperatures between 15 and 25°C.
A long-lived species (20 years or more), it has a highly varied diet, favoring bottom-dwelling invertebrates. It reproduces at around 3-4 years of age, between May and July, when females lay hundreds of thousands of small eggs near the shore, which adhere to submerged vegetation. After 5-10 days, the fry hatch, which can reach 18 cm in length within a year. During the cold season, carp hibernate in the mud for the winter.
Native to Central and Eastern Europe and Asia, carp were introduced to Italy during the Roman Empire and were later raised by monks through the painstaking selection of breeds that present different shapes and colors. Once caught, carp must be kept alive for several days in cool, clear water before being consumed, to remove their muddy flavor. Specimens weighing over a kilo, treated and cooked according to traditional recipes, are exquisite.
Farming in very large ponds (hundreds of hectares), fertilized with organic waste, is of great importance in Eastern Europe and especially in Asia. This fish has a remarkable ability to recycle waste, transforming it into valuable proteins.
Dialect: bulber, queen carp, spegi carp.
G. TOMASI, 2004 - The Three Hundred Lakes of Trentino. Ed. Artimedia – Temi, Trento, 535 pp.
