Changes

Some of the species here further subdivided according to age and size. In traditional Polish terminology, the pike, for example, ranges from the ''obłączka'' (smallest) to ''szczupak półmiskowy'' ("platter-sized"), ''szczupak łokietny'' ("cubit-long"), ''szczupak podgłówny'' ("sub-main") to ''szczupak główny'' ("main", the largest). These terms used to have their equivalents in English: gilthed, hurling pick, pickerel, pike and luce.

So we've got quite a few fish species, but what about fish dishes? Here Mickiewicz was a somewhat less specific. He did mention one delicacy, though, which was served at the end of the dinner as the master chef's ''pièce de résistance''.

Obviously, that's the second "secret" from the ''Compendium''. This one, for a "whole, uncut fish, cooked in three ways", except that in Czerniecki's recipe it was middle that was boiled, the head was fried and the tail, roasted.<ref>S. Czerniecki, ''op. cit.'', [https://polona.pl/item/compendium-fercvlorvm-albo-zebranie-potraw,MzQ5MDIzMw/78 s.&nbsp;67]</ref> Not any fish will do here. It must be both appropriately dignified and long, which means a mature pike is the best choice. The trick is rather simple: all you need to do is to spit-roast the fish over low-burning coals. The part that's meant to be boiled must be wrapped in cloth that is constantly doused with salted water with vinegar. The part that's supposed to be fried is basted with oil and sprinkled with flour. And the part that's meant to be roasted is roasted. And here's the full recipe as written by Czerniecki: