"Bright fish." Bleak. A small, elongated, white-fleshed fish, abundant in the lakes and quiet waterways of the alpine region, particularly Lake Maggiore. Its scales, which are thin and silvery, come away easily. The flesh of the pond bleak is of poor quality, but that of the river variety is fairly good, though full of little bones. It is about 15 cm (6 inches) long and invariably served fried.
