There is one New Year’s Eve dish that still surprises everyone to whom I tell it. It is prepared on the 31st of December, but no one eats it during New Year’s Eve. They don’t take it out of the kitchen at all until the next morning. On December 31, mother-in-law goes to the market, where she buys live carps of no more than one or two pounds by weight, because larger carps do not fit in the oven. the number of carps depends on the number of people who will be present at the New Year’s table.
Next, my mother-in-law washes and cleans the fish of scales, which she does not throw away. She is not really a superstitious woman, but for some reason she observes this tradition, which is more like a ritual. There is a belief that fish scales cooked in this way should keep the whole year in the house. Then there will be material stability in the family. I do not know exactly how long this tradition is observed in my spouse’s family, but I know that it is very many years.
After that, my mother-in-law puts the scales from the fish into a sack and puts the fish on a baking tray, salts it and covers it with a thick layer of sour cream. She does not use any other spices. Carp are sent to the oven and stewed there until cooked at 160 C. After that, the fish is not taken out of the oven, but remains there until the next morning. When everyone gradually gathers for breakfast in the new year, usually by lunchtime, the mother-in-law serves everyone one whole fish cold. The tradition has another rule: everyone should eat only their own carp, even if it takes several days.
The scales in the pouch are kept for a year and replaced with a new one on December 31. The fish is incredibly delicious! When I learned about this tradition, I thought it was strange, but later I liked it. I don’t keep the scales myself and I don’t believe in omens, but on January 1, I gladly eat cold carp instead of under-eaten salads and dishes from the New Year table
