By Til Biermann
In Peitz, Brandenburg, there are 1,000 hectares of carp ponds, about one meter deep. As was usual in GDR times, the cooling water heat from a coal-fired power plant provides the ideal nursery for the fish. And these are now officially a delicacy.
Like French winegrowers, the fishermen have managed to obtain an EU seal. That says: Champagne must come from the Champagne region, Peitzer carp from certain Brandenburg ponds.
The fish farmers in Peitz received the necessary documents from Brussels. Behind this is a six-year process, thousands of pages of forms had to be filled out.
The pond landscape extends over around 1000 hectares. In the background the coal-fired power station that warms the tanks for young fish with its cooling water Photo: Til Biermann
Dietrich Kunkel (64), Vice President of Peitzer Edelfisch GmbH, was closely involved in the process, shows one of the folders that made the Peitzer carp the German champagne.
“This is, for example, proof of the existence of fish farming over the last few centuries, so of course everything has to be proven to the EU, historical maps, etc.,” he says.
One of the Peitz fishermen holds a noble carp in his hands. They are now officially considered a delicacy Photo: Til Biermann
Fisherman Gerd Michaelis (61) from Teichgut Peitz is jointly responsible for the further development of the animals: “We put our heart and soul into it. Everyone has been striving to develop the fish for centuries, we still select the best fish to breed.”
Gerd Michaelis (61) takes care of the breeding of the fish Photo: Til Biermann
After three years in different ponds, it’s time to fish out. The carp were “on the pasture” at this time, as the fishermen call it. They harvest about 500 tons a year, every 20th carp consumed in Germany comes from Peitz.
Similar to cows, the fish look for a large part of their food themselves, digging through the bottom. The EU decision-makers attested that the Peitzer carp had a “species-specific, characteristic taste and an aromatic smell.”
The carp harvest at Peitzer Teufelteich. The noble fish have been bred here for centuries
Boss Ramona Oppermann (63) came to fish and explains what makes the Peitzer carp the German champagne: “We have hard-bottomed ponds, the carp are raised close to nature, which means there is only a little bit of food, the rest swims in the pond. They live on zooplankton, animals that are in the soil, they’re like capybaras.”
Ramona Oppermann (63), Managing Director of Peitzer Edelfisch GmbH Photo: Til Biermann
Oppermann emphasizes: “If you even raise that to the level of champagne, then that’s more than carp with beer.”
Dietrich Kunkel shows a breeding step that is supposed to take away the moorish taste of the carp – in tanks with clear water on the company premises: “This is where the fish are kept. This means that after the fish have been fished, they come in here until they are sold and go through an inner and outer cleaning process again.”
On October 29th and 30th there will also be smoked meats at the carp harvest folk festival Photo: Til Biermann
The animals, which weigh two to three kilos, are often offered alive in fish shops, and the meat is also popular smoked.
However, Ramona Oppermann has another favourite: “My favorite recipe is carp in blue with vinegar and spices like knuckle of pork, and then there is brown butter, horseradish and boiled potatoes.”