The fish – sorry – dog in the pan is going crazy! A fish that is strictly protected because it is threatened with extinction was recently prepared in an ORF cooking show. The faux pas occurred in the weekly “Delicious culinary” section, which is part of “Lower Austria today”: Host Roland Lukesch mistakenly processed a so-called Frauennerfling into fish patties. Viewers pointed out the error to ORF, and those responsible have since apologized.
“We are terribly sorry”
But how could this error come about? The food was cooked according to an old recipe that can also be used to prepare very bone-rich fish. “I asked a well-known fisherman to bring a white fish because it is a traditional white fish dish. He made a mistake and brought a female nerfling, that was our misfortune,” explains Lukesch. The mix-up also occurred because the fisherman mistakenly assigned the women’s Nerfling to the extraction specifications of the – not protected – Nerfling. “We’re terribly sorry for the mistake. Everyone, me and the fisherman,” says the innkeeper contritely.
The recipe, which is still available on the show’s website, does not recommend any specific type of fish; it only mentions “35 dag fish fillet”. Postscript: “Preferably from a fisherman you trust”. The “minced (fish) labels for Lent” are served with “branded dog,” it goes on to say.
Big media response
In any case, the mishap in front of the cameras caused quite a stir: major media outlets at home and abroad reported on the culinary misstep. Not only ZDF, Bildzeitung and Spiegel picked up the story, the story even spread to America and India. For example, the “Times of India” headlined with a play on words: “Austria fishermen fume over protected fish fried on public TV“. The American news platform CBS News also devoted a longer report to the spicy incident.
Social media amusement
The incident also amused numerous users on social media – probably mainly due to the term “Frauennerfling”. “I learned from recent news that women’s nerfs are very rare and are therefore particularly protected. To reassure you, I would like to inform you that there are still plenty of common women’s nerfs, commonly known as men,” is just one of the numerous comments. Cabaret artist Alex Kristan made his fans laugh with a parody on the topic:
Where does the name “Frauennerfling” come from?
How the Frauennerfling actually gets its name was explained by Gregor Gravogl, managing director of the Lower Austrian State Fishing Association, in a recent ORF article. Nerfling is originally derived from the Latin “Orphus” (poetic for fish) and over the years became Örfling, Nörfling and finally Nerfling via Orfe. The carp-like fish also spawns in the “women’s month” of May. In Lower Austria, the protected species is mainly found in the Danube and the Marchfeld Canal. The population is declining sharply due to water pollution and hydraulic engineering measures, which is why the female nerfling is on the red list of protected species.
Author
Judith Pointner
Online editor
Judith Pointner
