THE GERMAN CARP IN THE UNITED STATES. 605 



German knows what are best; but I do not feel competent to judge of 

 them. In general, it would seem that the flesh is best boiled and baked 

 and prepared with some sort of dressing. Dr. S. P. Bartlett (1903, 

 p. 49) gives the following suggestions:'* 



I feel sure that most of the prejudice to the carp as a table fish is from tlie fact 

 that they are too often taken from the warm, water, fried and broiled without prep- 

 aration. Their rapid growth and the warm water they are taken from, has a tend- 

 ency to make them soft. I have found the best mode of preparing them as follows: 

 Kill as soon as caught, by bleeding, taking out all of the blood. Skin, soak in sa^t 

 water for several hours, then parboil and bake, basting freijuently. They are fre- 

 quently served here as a boiled fish, covered with proper dressing. It takes but a 

 slight stretch of the imagination to place [them] on bill of fare as anything from 

 bluefish to buffalo. To-day I had bluefish served with my soup at one of the 

 principal hotels and it would have passed as such with the average man, tell-tale 

 bones, however, said carp. 



Carp is probably more often served under the name of some other 

 fish than is generally suspected. Mr. John W. Titcomb gives an 

 instance where it was served at his instigation which shows that this 

 fish when well prepared compares so favorably to many others that 

 few suspect the difference. At the dinner in question there were 224 

 .people present. Mr. Titcomb's account of it is here given (Titcomb, 

 1902, p. 36): 



That the carp is unfit for food, as claimed by many sportsmen, may be contra- 

 dicted by the statement that at the dinner of the Vermont Fish and Game League 

 held at Burlington, Vt., in January, 1902, at which were entertained the members 

 of the North American Fish and Game Protective Association and representiitives of 

 the fishery departments of three Provinces in Canada, the carp was served under 

 the title of "baked red snapper," and was a very palatable dish. The deception 

 was not planned by the hotel managers, but at the request of the president of the 

 league in order that the carp might be fairly tested as to its edible qualities. While 

 a great many of those who ate the fish knew that it was not the genuine red snap- 

 per, it is probable that not one of the guests had any idea that he was eating the 

 despised carp. 



It is probable that many hotels and restaurants would find it profit- 

 able to have carp regularly on their bills of fare, especially such as 

 have considerable German patronage. The report of the Commis- 

 sioners of Inland Fisheries and Game (of Massachusetts) for 1893 

 (published in 1894) quotes the statement that at that time at least one 

 restaurant in Cleveland regularly had carp on its bill of fare; and a 



"Doctor Bartlett also gives a recipe for " carp omelet" or " carp jelly," said to be of Swedish origin. 

 It was given to him by Doctor Weiss, of Ottawa, III., who declares that the perfected product is 

 equal to the imported fish jelly that brings SI per pound. The recipe is as follows: 



Take a 6 or 8 pound carp; scale and skin. Leave head and skin [fins?] . Cut into small pieces and 

 place in boiling water just sufficient to cover, and add salt, coarsely ground pepper, allspice, and a bay 

 leaf or two. Boil about twenty minutes or until perfectly soft. Remove from the fire, remove pieces 

 of fish from the water, but preserve the water. Break the pieces so as to be able to remove all of the 

 bones thoroughly. Skin fins and head pieces. Strain liquid through a colander and if necessary 

 add a cupful of gelatin, previously dissolved, to this liquid. At the same time add such other pieces 

 as may be desired. Add the original pieces of fish to the liquid or gelatinized liquid. Stir and place 

 on ice until solidified. 



