| Caspian roach | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Leuciscidae |
| Subfamily: | Leuciscinae |
| Genus: | Rutilus |
| Species: | R. caspicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Rutilus caspicus (Yakovlev, 1870) | |
| Synonyms | |
Rutilus rutilus caspicus | |
TheCaspian roach (Rutilus caspicus) is aspecies of brackish waterray-finned fish belonging to thefamilyLeuciscidae, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related fishes.[2] This fish is found in theCaspian Sea, commonly known asvobla. The Caspian roach can be distinguished from other roaches by its laterally compressed body, silvery grey iris, rounded snout and grey pectoral pelvic and anal fins with dark margins. The Caspian roach is semi-anadromous and inhabits mostly shallow coastal waters.[3] It entersVolga,Ural,Emba,Terek andKura drainages forspawning.[3][4] Vobla is popular as a dried-fish snack.
Newer research however suggests thatR. caspicus is part of a more widely distributed species orroach, whose range extends to Siberia. The proper name of that species isRutilus lacustris.[5] In particular another popular as a dried-fish snack,taran (Rutilus heckelii) is thought to differ fromvobla only as a result of different habitat.[6]
The Caspian roach has a typical size of 30–35 cm (12–14 in) (maximum published 45 cm (18 in)) and a weight of 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) (maximum published 2 kg (4 lb 7 oz)). It can be distinguished from its congeners in the Caspian Sea by these characteristics:
The vobla is found in brackish coastal waters of the northern and northwestern Caspian Sea, and entersVolga,Ural,Emba,Terek, andKura drainages for spawning. There it is locally known asvobla.
Salt-driedvobla is generally eaten withoutsauces orside dishes. Many people like to eat their vobla with a glass of beer, which lessens the salty taste of the fish.
Vobla could be considered a raw fish, but, in fact, it is neither raw nor cooked, but rather salt-cured. It is soaked in brine for some days and then is thoroughly air-dried for another two, which in the end denatures the protein, as a form of chemical "cooking".
In 2022, during a protest against theRussian invasion of Ukraine one young woman was charged with "discreditation of the Russian Army" because she wrote "Нет в***е" on the pavement. Commonly read as "Нет войне" ("No to War"), the woman argued that she meant "Нет вобле" ("No to Vobla"), in a disdain towards vobla, and the accusers could not disprove her statement. This resulted in vobla becoming a minorinternet meme.[7][8]
