A fresh-water herbivorous fish (Cyprinus carpio.). Several other species of Cyprinus, Catla, and Carassius are called carp. See Cruclan carp.

der Karpfen Cyprinus carpio

The principal ingredient in the Jewish dish gefilte fish, carp is a freshwater fish native to Asia but found throughout the world. It ranges in size from 2 to 7 pounds and favors muddy waters, which often give a mossy flavor to the lean, white flesh. This musky nuance is least evident from November to April. Carp is best baked, fried or poached.

the lean flesh of a fish that is often farmed; can be baked or braised

Carp was one of the first types of fish to be grown in aquaculture systems. In particular, the common carp has been cultured throughout the world. Adult carp tend to be omnivorous, feeding on snails, mollusks, worms, algae, aquatic plants, seeds and detritus and can be reared in inland-based earthen ponds, cage culture, or polyculture systems. They have been incorporated into rice paddies to feed on the insects and other organisms associated with rice culture. Carp are a rapidly growing fish and are able to tolerate less than ideal environmental conditions. They can, however, become a nuisance when cultivated in a non-indigenous area, as has recently been seen in the southern United States following accidental escapes of several kinds of carp from aquaculture facilities in the early 1990s.

a freshwater fish with large scales and small barbels near its mouth. Carp have been raised as food by people since ancient times.

Carp is a common name for various freshwater fishes of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fishes that dominates the fish faunas of Eurasia and North America. Some consider all cyprinid fishes carps and the family Cyprinidae itself is often known as the carp family. In colloquial use, however, carp usually refers only to several larger cyprinid species such as Cyprinus carpio (common carp), Carassius carassius (Crucian carp), Ctenopharyngodon idella (grass carp), Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (silver carp), and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (bighead carp).